Remembrance
by Formeraxe
Summary: During the Kyūbi incident, Naruto is left traumatized and maimed. After, his father forbades him from becoming a shinobi, and focuses more on the village and the rest of his family. Naruto reaches his breaking point, and decides to take matters into his own hands. AU Strong, Genius, Gray, Puppeteer Naruto. Rated M for a reason. Not yaoi; pairings possible.
1. He remembered

**Chapter One**

 **He Remembered**

He remembered it all, despite what the iryo-nin told his parents. He recalled the destroyed buildings of Konohagakure, the fire, and the screams; oh god the screams. But, the flames stood out the most to him. Even to his underdeveloped brain, he could understand the symbolism.

His father would always go on and on about the 'will of fire.' And how the 'will of Konoha burned brightly in all its inhabitants.' How one day his son would be a great shinobi, who would surpass even himself eventually. He would often then look off into a seemingly random direction; his expression wistful.

However, with the attack of a great beast came the crumbling of a life, a life that was far too young. But the ninja world was beyond cruel, and life was equally as unforgiving.

In one universe a child grew to be a great savior. A messiah for those in need, and a leader of peace. In this world; however, a child will grow with a seed planted. A seed of fear, that will change everything that should have been.

In this reality, the child remembered...


	2. Rehabilitation and War

**Chapter Two**

 **Rehabilitation and War**

The first thing he heard when he came to was voices. One was obviously distressed, and the other an eerie calm. He attempted to open his eyes, but was met with an unbearably bright light. "The details can come later, my only question is will my son be okay?"

That sounded like his father, but he couldn't be sure. Why was it so hard to hear? He tried to move his body, but quickly found that he was too weak to do so. What happened?

"Naruto will live, but he had extensive damage done to his right leg. I'm sorry, but we had to amputate." A stifling silence settled onto the area following the iryo-nin's words.

Amputated? He tried moving his right leg in desperation, but he soon found out the horrifying truth. From his right knee down was missing, the pain from the slight movement crawled up his back, along with chills. Naruto could feel his heart beating in his chest, thumping so loud he thought it might burst. His eyes burned, and his ears felt hot.

"No, no, no, you didn't!" His father's voice cracked as he spoke. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but we did all we could. Maybe if Tsunade-sama were here..."

After a short silence the Hokage spoke, "I understand, I have to get back to running the village. Keep me updated on his condition Seiji." Naruto fully opened his eyes to his father's words, "Dad, don't go," his voice was beyond horse, and a series of coughs followed.

He heard the door open, and a slender man with spectacles and a white coat filled his vision, "Naruto-kun, your father left on urgent business, but he will be back soon." The man spoke with a smile, but Naruto knew better. He heard him talking with a stoic calm to his father, this was just an act to console him.

"My leg, what happened to my leg?" His voice did little to hide his distress. "All will be explained soon Naruto, for now sleep."

After the bespectacled man left, Naruto couldn't sleep. He was tired, but his mind was racing a mile a minute. Soon however, he started weeping. His memory was so muddled; why did this have to happen to him? What even happened? His tears soon ceased, and his heavy eyes closed.

* * *

The following days were filled with copious amounts of resting, and unending questions from the iryo-nin. 'Do you remember anything? Do you have symptom A, or B? How do you feel?' The truth was, he didn't remember anything, and he felt awful. He just couldn't get over his new 'condition.'

Being a cripple disgusted Naruto, and he often found himself staring at his stump of a right leg for hours on end. The worst of it though, was that his father hadn't come to see him since he became conscious. The hospital staff said it was because he had to get everything in order since the unexpected attack, but Naruto didn't care. He wanted-no, he needed his father, Hokage or not.

A series of knocks were heard, before his door opened, "How are you feeling Naruto-kun?" The Emerging nurse asked, a clipboard held to her chest. A lifeless stare penetrated her as a response. "I need you to pay attention, because what I'm about to say is important," she approached him, before sitting down on the edge of his hospital bed. "Because of your condition, we will need to start you on rehabilitation. Do you know what that means?"

Naruto's eyes shifted down to his stump, "Rehabilitation: the act of restoring something to its original state," his voice was nearly robotic as he responded. The nurse was non-plussed, "Yes, and seeing how you already unlocked your chakra, we can equip you with a state of the art prosthetic limb."

Another knock was heard, before the door opened revealing the bespectacled man who conversed with his father. "Hello Naruto-kun, I trust Misumi here filled you in," He had his fake smile plastered on again, Naruto noted. The man was followed in by another nurse, who wheeled in the prosthetic on a over-bed table.

The artificial limb was chrome in color, with a round pivot point for what Naruto guessed was supposed to be the knee. Two long black belts were pooled over the limb, to help the prosthetic stay in place he ventured.

When Naruto didn't respond, Seiji's smile dimmed somewhat, "Misumi, help him over to the side of the bed." When she made a grab for him, he didn't flinch. At this point, Naruto didn't care if he was uncooperative. After he was situated, Seiji put the cushioned gel liner onto his stump, before setting the prosthetic in place. Misumi tightened one belt around his waist, while Seiji fixed the other around his crippled leg.

Getting up with a sigh, the doctor spoke, "Now Naruto, this prosthetic works by channeling your chakra into it. It has a specialized chakra conductive material, which will give you control of the limb, " he paused shortly, before continuing, "I want you to channel chakra into your new leg, and try to raise it, can you do that for me?"

The crippled boy narrowed his eyes, before attempting what was asked of him. At first nothing happened, but slowly Naruto's new leg raised several inches, before dropping. "I'm impressed Naruto, we expected any movement to take a week at least.

"I practiced chakra control."

The nurses gasped, as Seiji's eyes widened. This was the first he had spoken of his own volition in a month.

* * *

Minato Namikaze's pace was brisk, as he walked down the halls of the village's council building. Built for the sole purpose of critical talks for the betterment of Konohagakure, and any serious problem that needed to be dealt with.

The Yodaime Hokage didn't spare so much as a glance at the two ANBU guarding the double doors, and merely kept walking as they opened them for him. He was greeted by the eleven occupants of the room. The clan heads including his wife, the elder council, and the ANBU commander, who all stood with a chorus of 'Hokage-sama.'

"At ease," Minato simply said, as they all took a seat. "This council was put forth, and called by me. Since the Kyubi attack a month ago, Iwa has gotten far too bold. The most recent attack on team 11 ended with the death of one of our jounin, as well as two of his former genin. This has been the third attack this month, and one alone is sufficient excuse for war." Many of the councilmen's faces grew grim at the Hokage's words, and for good reason. With the Third Great Shinobi War ending just a few short years ago, many were just getting over their losses.

"However, that is the last thing I want to do. Normally I wouldn't even consider it, but new intelligence we've gathered leaves me at an impasse. Shikaku, if you would." Taking his cue, Shikaku Nara stood, his lazy demeanor nonexistent, "Since the first attack, Hokage-sama and myself have been working with Jiraiya-sama to figure out what Iwa's ulterior motive has been. Approximately four days ago, we received a message via summoning toad. Jiraiya-sama eavesdropped on a meeting between Oonoki, and the new Raikage: A. During this time, he found out that this meeting was for a covert alliance, where they agreed to take advantage of our current weakness."

With a roar, Tsume Inuzuka slammed her hands on the table, "The nerve of those trash; they wish for another war?" Light murmurs filled the room, as the council took in the new information. "While I'm not as boisterous as Inuzuka-san, I must agree. Did Jiraiya-sama manage to pick up any more details?" Shibi Aburame spoke lightly, but his logical mind was past petty insults.

Before Shikaku could speak, a voice called out from a dark corner of the room, "I have more than enough details now." Everyone, barring Minato and Danzo turned to the corner in surprise. "Jiraiya-sensei, while it is good to see you, do you mind elaborating?"

The Toad-sannin had a grim visage, as he walked up to the council table, "Three weeks, three weeks and they will be ready for an assault of some kind." The room erupted into murmurs again, as Minato slouched with his hands clenched together. "That gives us less than a month for counter measures," The Yodaime's voice quieted the room, as Danzo spoke up, "War is inevitable Minato, we should start preparing for it."

Kushina Uzumaki bit her lip in worry, as she watched her husband suffer. She was thinking about their newest addition to the family, and Kushina was certain that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Minato was contemplating. Not just their family, but every family in Konoha.

"I do not make this decision lightly, and it pains me more than anything to say this," Many looked on in horror as the Hokage vocalized his verdict.

"Were going to war."

* * *

 **Hey readers, I'm here with chapter two of my first story. Now, I'm going to elucidate on some things within, and outside the story.**

 **1\. Naruto is six years older than canon Naruto.**

 **2\. There will be NO bashing in this story. I absolutely despise it.**

 **3\. This story will be at least 100,000 words, or at least that is what I'm going for.**

 **4\. I have a job, and I will be going to college here soon. Don't expect a chapter every day; I'll try for weekly, or bi-weekly.**

 **5\. I plan to make my chapters on average, about 50% bigger than this one.(2000+ words)**

 **Now, if you have any questions you can PM me. Don't be afraid to do so! I'm a nice guy, and will message you back! ^-^**

 **Glossary**

 **1\. Iryo-nin: Medical Ninja.**

 **2\. Kyubi: Nine-tails.**


	3. Dissension

**Chapter Three**

 **Dissension**

Naruto hobbled down the merchant district of Konohagakure no Sato with no real destination in mind. He has been in the rehabilitation stage of his recovery for about a month and a half now, and making astounding progress.

Normally amputees need anywhere from six to eight months for full prosthetic use, even with chakra support. However, the young Namikaze has gotten near full use in less then two.

Recovering from his condition hasn't been the only progress the crippled boy has made though. Large amounts of bed rest opened the gateway to his new favorite past time: reading. Books and scrolls to Naruto, supplemented the greatest power a person can have: knowledge. Having information your enemy doesn't will put you at an extreme advantage.

His advancements in academics, and his thirst for knowledge even brought him praise with Seiji. The iryo-nin commented saying that, 'he would be a genius if he ever became a shinobi.'

However, even with the announcement of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the jury was still out on him becoming a ninja. Seiji had mentioned that his integration into the shinobi forces was possible, given that Sunagakure has had notable ninja with physical disabilities.

In response, the crippled boy requested information regarding Suna shinobi, which the iryo-nin obliged. Being the crippled, bastard son of a kage had its perks, even if the former occurred through unsavory means.

The bespectacled man fought him a bit though, saying he should return home to finish up his rehabilitation. Naruto declined however, he would go back home when his father came to get him. As childish as he thought it was, he wanted Minato to come to him, not the other way around.

Naruto's ears twitched, as he heard two whispering civilians on his right, "It's a shame Hokage-sama's first born won't become a ninja, we could use another genius in the war."

The blonde gritted his teeth as he passed them by. How did they know he couldn't become a shinobi? 'To think you have the answers through mere assumptions is arrogance, and arrogance leads to death.' A quote derived from the Nidaime Hokage himself.

Clenching his fist, Naruto decided right there that he would show the village that he could become a shinobi. And he knew just the person to ask.

* * *

Minato Namikaze rubbed his burning eyes with a sigh. He had just adjourned a council meeting that was filled with more theoretical nonsense than any actual progress.

The war so far wasn't in their favor. Konoha was viewed as the strongest of all the five villages, and for all intents and purposes, it was. However, the Kyubi attack took many of their shinobi's lives, as well as dampering the economy. Less shinobi to carry out missions, and reconstruction did that.

The Yodaime Hokage welcomed this reprieve though, as short as it will be. A sudden knock on his office door brought on another sigh, _' And there it is,'_ thought Minato. "You may enter."

His assistant entered with a frown marring her face, "I apologize Hokage-sama, but your son Naruto is here to see you."

 _'Naruto? Shouldn't he be in the hospital?'_ He scratched his chin, before looking at the young woman, "Kimiko, send him in please." Bowing, the assistant shut the door. ' _Naruto...I wonder how you have been doing.'_

After a short wait, his assistant opened the door for his son, who shuffled in with a crutch under his arm. Minato noted that his prosthetic was covered by white medical rapping. Kimiko grabbed a nearby chair, and helped the young Namikaze into it. His son's expression turned dark from the act, he noticed.

"That will be all Kimiko, and thank you." After another bow, the two were left alone. Father and son.

After a short silence the elder spoke, "How does it feel, your leg I mean," he said, the last part hurried.

"I knew what you were referring to father, and it feels better than it was. The phantom pain is the worst part of it," the boy was polite, but held a certain edge in his voice.

"I'm glad you are feeling better, I had many friends who have lost a piece of themselves. They were much slower when it came to rehabilitation, I'm proud of you," Minato smiled at his son, but a frown nearly formed at Naruto's apathetic gaze.

"Father, I request admission into the shinobi forces. I know that I'm a cripple, but I'm willing to push myself to my limits and beyond to prove myself. I have trained my chakra control to a degree that Seiji-san said was that of a medical genin. I have pushed myself to read up on everything that is taught at the academy. Please father," he then clumsily got onto the ground in spite of his leg, and bowed.

Silence permeated the room after Naruto's request, and the young blonde didn't dare lift his head.

"No."

Naruto's eyes widened, as he slowly lifted his head to match his father's gaze. Minato looked conflicted as he held his son's gaze. "But why? I can do this, just please give me a chan-"

"I said no Naruto. I'm sorry for having to say this, but I just cannot send you to your death." The elder blonde nearly grimaced at his son's pained expression. He looked so broken.

"Bu-but father, there have been accounts of some Suna shinobi who became powerful despite their condition," Naruto was desperate at this point, and he was trying as hard as he could not to cry. Didn't his father see how much he needed this? How much he needed him?

"Damn it Naruto," Minato said, his stress catching up to him, "those shinobi you are talking about were already ninja before they became crippled. Not only that, but Suna has far more efficient methods at using prosthesis, because of their puppetry."

The young blonde went silent, before snarling, "Is it because I'm your bastard?"

Caught by surprise, the elder Namikaze nearly recoiled,"What?" His son's hands were shaking with unbridled rage, as his long, shaggy hair shadowed his eyes.

"I'm your bastard right? You had me with my mother almost seven years ago during the last war. I'm sure that was a black mark on your perfect record, a Hokage to be, who slept with an Iwagakure shinobi!"

For the first time since he became the leader of Konoha, the Hokage was left speechless.

After a short silence, Minato spoke,"Naruto, you were not a victim of circumstance, this I can promise. You were not an accident, your mother was-she was a friend. A good person who was a victim of war."

Naruto's anger was palpable, and he was ready to explode on his father again. But, a crazy thought entered his head. It was ludicrous, but if his father kept up his neglect, and this war kept going then it was possible.

The young Namikaze's anger dispersed, "Okay father you win."

The elder blonde's eyebrows rose, as his son continued, "If I cannot become a shinboi, can you at least indulge me on my other dream?"

"Other dream?" Naruto nearly grinned in response, "I wish to become a puppeteer, to better control my limb. I understand that it is a hijutsu, so we have little information on the topic. However, I would like as much information as we have on the subject, as well as a workshop. Nothing big, but something efficient."

The Yodaime Hokage's eyes softened, _'He has been through so much pain, both psychological and physical. And yet, he still pushes himself to be the best he can be. I haven't been there for him when I should have, it's that simple.'_

"Okay Naruto," He said with a smile, "I can spare a genin team to turn the old house we had before my rein as Hokage, into some sort of workshop for you."

Naruto's smile could have lit up the room, "Thank you father, I will not disappoint you!"

 _'It's the least I can do for you, my son.'_

* * *

After an anxious week, Naruto moved into his new home for the foreseeable future. This is where he will start on his conquest for greatness. This is where he will become a ninja in all but name.

The blonde started on the many books and scrolls on puppetry given to him. As expected, the information was vague at best, but it was enough for him to get an idea. Reverse engineering a hijutsu from accounts and scrolls was going to be nearly impossible. However, he was prepared to spend years in is father's old home, isolated from the rest of reality if need be.

From what he gathered, puppetry is broken down into three main branches: poison use, fuinjutsu, and construction. Poison is a vital part of using puppets in battle, because of their nature. Puppets themselves are usually not very durable. However, they make up for that with agility, and using poison to take down the enemy with naught but a scrape. He knew poison use was a branch of medical techniques, so he would be spending quite a bit of time talking with Seiji.

Fuinjutsu in this case, is used to store your puppets for maximum efficiency. A memory struck him during his studies on fuinjutsu. He remembered how his father used seals to strengthen the molecular bonds in objects. He demonstrated this in the past, with the very seals that kept Naruto's new home strong. The blonde hypothesized that he could strengthen his puppets in the future with this method.

And last, but not least, construction. Construction is the foundation for all puppet techniques. Every great puppeteer started with the construction of his or her first puppet. This was the most vague part in deciphering Suna's hijutsu though. How did they make their puppets? What was the best method for creating the most efficient puppet possible? Naruto thought on this subject for hours, but soon realized that there would be plenty of trial and error in the future.

He needed patience; every great shinobi started with the basics. The Shodaime did not build Konoha in a single day after all.

* * *

 **And here is chapter three of Remembrance! My imagination played a big role in this one, because the words just didn't flow like I wanted them to. Now, here are some counter arguments I thought of to combat hypothetical arguments I made. (I hope that made sense.)**

 **1\. Naruto is far too intelligent for a seven year old!**

 **Well, if this was real life I would agree with you. However, in the Naruto universe, child geniuses grow on trees. The most extreme example of this is Itachi Uchiha. Hiruzen Sarutobi even said that Itachi thought like a kage when he was a _GENIN!_ Hell, Kakashi made genin at FIVE, and chunin at six, freaking _SIX!_**

 **2\. Minato's neglect is unrealistic!**

 **Between his duties as Hokage, the war, Naruto's rehabilitation and trying to see his wife and newborn son, I think it's realistic.**

 **3\. Minato consummating with another woman, (an Iwa one at that) would never happen!**

 **All will be explained in time; however, look at it this way. Minato was between sixteen and seventeen during that time, and was still discovering things about himself, as well as the world.**

 **Glossary**

 **1\. Iryo-nin: Medical Ninja**

 **2\. Yodaime Hokage: Fourth Fire Shadow**

 **3\. Hijutsu: Secret Technique**

 **4\. Fuinjutsu: Sealing Technique**


	4. Falling Leaves

**Chapter Four**

 **Falling Leaves**

The dimly lit office of the **Tsuchikage** had seen better days, Kitsuchi noted. Papers and scrolls were strewn all over the desk, and parts of the walls and ceiling were cracked, ' _Father, why must you torment yourself?'_

His attention shifted toward the office door, as the Tsuchikage himself entered, "Kitsuchi, it's good to see you haven't been injured." Oonoki floated over to his desk to rest his back, without so much as glancing at his son. "Yes Tsuchikage-sama, it seems fortune favors the strong," the dark haired man responded.

Oonoki let out a snort, as he folded his hands together, "Yes, and it is because of your strength that you are needed on this most dire mission. **X-ranked** ; will probably be the most important mission of your career."

Kitsuchi's eyes widened, X-ranked? Only a handful of those have ever been given out in the history of the modern shinobi world. What it really meant was that it's such a arduous task, that the S-rank doesn't suit the difficulty.

The old kage stroked his long beard, while looking into his son's eyes, "You are to take a squad of our finest shinobi, and capture Minato Namikaze's youngest son. Details of Konoha's infrastructure, as well as guard shifts are within here," he said, pulling out a brown scroll.

The dark haired shinobi felt his stomach flip, "Father you can't be serious! Not only do we have to get past patrols, but also get into probably the most heavily guarded village on the planet. No matter who I bring, only death will await us."

Kitsuchi noticed the room start to shake, as the cracks in the walls became larger. He looked over to his father who was visibly enraged, while chakra radiated from his small body, "Do not begin to lecture me on the enemy _boy._ I have been through three wars before this one, and I have seen the likes of Madara Uchiha in their prime!" Oonoki visibly calmed down, as his chakra receded. Dust fell from the ceiling in the aftermath, "Take Gari and his squad with you, they will serve as a diversion for your escape. If you cannot get out of there, kill the child,"

"Very well, Tsuchikage-sama," Kitsuchi said, before quickly leaving his father to himself. Sighing, the elderly man shut his eyes, "You can come out now, I'm sure you have something riveting to say."

At first nothing happened, but soon a figure wearing an orange mask seemingly stepped out of thin air, "Oonoki, this plan of yours leaves much to be desired."

The kage's eyes narrowed, "If your agents in that fool of a sannin's spy network do their job, then there won't be any issues. Besides, if they do manage to get the child, I can manipulate Minato into whatever I please."

The masked man let out a dark laugh, "So, you are trusting me with your son's life? You truly are a vengeful kage."

Oonoki snarled, "I will wipe Konohagakure no Sato off the map for what they've done! Nothing will be left of that cursed village, that I will make sure of!" More dust fell from the walls and ceiling at his out burst.

The figure smiled underneath his mask, ' _You mean after what I've done? You are so easy to manipulate Oonoki.'_

* * *

"Report," his voice was absent of any emotion, but the animal masked shinobi didn't seem to be fazed. "Hokage-sama, we managed to make it behind enemy lines, and were on our way to **Base Granite**. However, we were intercepted by an explosion corps. Squad." The silver haired **ANBU** 's hands clenched, "Gari of the explosion fist was leading them, we stood almost no chance."

Minato's eyes narrowed, "How were you detected? Iwa's forces should have been concentrated at the front of Granite due to eleventh company's diversion."

The ANBU fully sat up to a kneeling position, his mask's design looking akin to a dog, "I don't know Hokage-sama; they came out of nowhere. Even our sensor didn't pick up on it until it was too late. It's almost as if-"

"As if they knew you were coming, " Minato interrupted, a scowl spreading across his face.

A silence over took the two, as the blonde turned his gaze out over the village through his office window, "Your mission was a failure ANBU **Buntaicho** Dog. Return to ANBU HQ, and get some rest."

The silver haired man stood, before putting his right hand into a half ram seal. Minato turned his head slightly, "And Dog, if you need to talk about anything, I'll be in my home sometime tonight."

The ANBU nodded his head, before disappearing in a **shunshin no jutsu (Body Flicker)**. As the ANBU left, the Hokage's expression darkened.

" **Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning)**!" He exclaimed, slamming his palm onto the ground after a blur of hand seals. A small puff of smoke followed a popping sound, as a cat sized green toad appeared. "Gamaro, I need you to send sensei a message," the Hokage said as he took out a small scroll, before quickly writing down his message.

The toad waited a bit, as Minato finished by tying a knot around the scroll, "Here you go, remember this is incredibly urgent. Sensei needs to see this immediately," Gamaro merely trilled as he consumed the scroll, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose, ' _is there really a double agent in your infallible spy network sensei?'_ He sighed, before taking a seat, ' _I could use a rest, I've only gotten around fifteen hours of sleep this week. Maybe I can finally get Naruto to see Kazuya today, one hundred time's the charm.'_

* * *

A grunt of exertion was heard, as five blue strings attached to a manikin within the dimly lit room. A nearby candle shined off his pale skin, as Naruto held up a half ram sign with a grin. His **c** **hakura no ito (Chakra threads)** color flashed white, before the puppet was blown apart in a fiery blaze. The blonde didn't even hesitate as an arm streaked by his head and into his wall, " **c** **hakra thread explosion technique,** success."

It has been three years since Naruto went to see his father, and he has rarely ever been seen outside his work shop since. Food was generally delivered to him, and he built his own training area underneath the house. The only time he really ever left was for appointments at the hospital, but they gradually slowed after he was cleared from rehabilitation.

Over the years, Naruto has made incredible advancements in puppetry; successfully reverse engineering the art in his own way. Through trial and error, he managed to find the most efficient methods to create a puppet, and how to maintain them.

He also learned quite a bit from Seiji at the hospital. The **Shosen jutsu(Mystic palm)** came almost naturally to him, as well as other basic medical techniques. Naruto also inquired on poison use, which Seiji declined. However, offering to help out at the hospital loosened the old iryo-nin up. War put a tremendous strain on the hospital staff, and an unpaid hand definitely helped.

However, the field of fuinjutsu is where Naruto shined the most. Using his preexisting knowledge on the subject, he blew through the basics in a matter of months. Mastering the **s** **croll sealing method** , as well as **k** **ibaku fuda (Explosive tags)** with ease. Naruto moved on after that to experimenting with seals, hoping to find ways of augmenting his puppets and his style of combat. Reverse engineering his father's **d** **urability seals** was his first step in that direction. The blonde spent months on end taking in the complexity, and comparing each individual stroke to his notes. His hard work paid off after a year of on and off attempts, but the results were less than stellar. Due to the nature of his father's seal work, it strengthened the molecular bonds of _a_ _specific_ object. In this case: plaster, which is what the walls were made of. This didn't deter the cripple though, as he managed to figure out a way to strengthen wood and steel as well, within the month.

A light burning sensation caused Naruto to look down at his calloused left hand. The kanji for _**open** _ blazed on his palm, ' _I shouldn't have any visitors today. I shouldn't have any visitors full stop actually.'_

The blonde rolled his shoulders as he made his way out of the training area, and into his sitting room. He cracked his neck when he came to the door, before opening it. A tall ANBU operative stood before him, his face hidden behind a bear mask.

The ANBU didn't need his keen senses to notice the state of the house's interior. Kunai and shuriken littered the walls, and is that a scroll on the ceiling? The young Namikaze just stared apathetically at the shinobi for a moment, before he started to close the door. Bear halted the door with his arm, "Naruto Namikaze, Hokage-sama requests your presence at the Hokage estate."

The blonde snorted, "I refuse."

The ANBU let out a sigh, "Hokage-sama mentioned that you would say that. He also mentioned that he would impart some advanced fuinjutsu techniques if you came. Personally, I think that it is a pretty good deal."

Naruto smirked, "No one cares what _you think_ , however _I_ _think_ I can spare an hour or so." The cripple then formed a ram seal, before disappearing in a body flicker technique. Bear sighed again, as he followed the young Namikaze's lead.

* * *

Standing at the Hokage estate's front door, Naruto frowned, ' _He practically forces me out of my home, and then makes me wait for his sorry ass? I'm just going to leave, the techniques can wait.'_

Before he could leave; however, the door was opened by a beautiful red haired woman, "Ah, hello Naruto-chan, it's been a while huh?"

The blonde scowled at the suffix, as he took in his step mother's appearance, ' _She hasn't changed at all since then._ _Still has long hair, still as boisterous'_ He then looked into her eyes, "Kushina-san, I was invited by my father."

The Uzumaki's smile grew, "Yeah, Minato-kun didn't think you would come, so we were not actively waiting for you. Anyway, come on in! I'm excited for you to meet your little brother. Kazuya-chan is so cute when he meets new people."

Naruto entered the luxurious estate meant for only the Hokage and their family with a frown. This was the last thing he wanted; to be with his family. He had chosen a new path, a path to greatness. But, he felt his resolve crack at the genuine laughter from the next room, and the fragrance from what he guessed was dinner.

Kushina wen to open the door which held the rest of his family he assumed. He was actually going through with this, ' _I'll just stick around, say my greetings, and then leave. Father never said that I had to stay for a specific amount of time.'_

With the door now opened, his attention instantly turned to the little boy in the room. He has red hair like Kushina's, while retaining the soft blue eyes of their father. He was currently attempting to wrestle their father onto the ground, but was making zero headway.

The little boy's eyes quickly shifted over to them as they entered the room, and a huge smile stretched across his little face, "Dad! It's a midget version of you!" The young Uzumaki animatedly pointed at Naruto, as if his father was unaware that he was there.

Kushina laughed, and Minato looked sheepish. Naruto; however, was not amused, "Listen here kid, I'm average height for my age. Now, your stature leaves much to be desired. Compared to most children, you have considerably less to offer."

Kazuya stared at him, before looking to his father in confusion. The Hokage sighed, "What he meant Kazuya-Bo, is that you're are even smaller than him."

The red haired boy nodded his head, "Well, I'm way cooler! My dad is the Hokage! Beat that blondey!" He closed his eyes and smirked in confidence.

Minato muttered "blondey?," before Naruto retorted, "He is my father too Kazuya. Although, I don't hold the same enthusiasm as you do." He then turned to he two adults, "Can we get this over with please?"

Kushina nodded, "Kazuya-chan, this is your big brother, Naruto. Why don't you go and greet him properly?"

The boy opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of a massive explosion. The house shook, and framed pictures fell off the walls, before shattering on the floor. Minato was the first to respond, "Bear!"

The ANBU who fetched Naruto landed in front of the Hokage with a crouch, "Bear, I need you to protect the children while Kushina and I figure out what's going on. I'm counting on you."

The ANBU bowed, as Minato and Kushina disappeared in a yellow flash. " _So, that is the famous_ **Hiraishin no jutsu** ," Naruto thought, while gathering his bearings from the explosion. Looking to his right, he noticed how Kazuya was openly shedding tears.

Bear kneeled in front of the two, "Listen to me, I want you two to listen to everything I say." Both sons of the Hokage gave their attention, "We are going to go into the basement of the estate-" A squelching sound interrupted the ANBU, as he looked down to a bloody sword protruding from his chest.

Naruto's eyes widened, as Bear's body fell to the side. Four Iwa shinobi stood behind the corpse, the largest ripping his sword out of the ANBU's body, "Knock them out, and let's get going. We are on a timer."

That was the last thing Naruto heard, before everything went black.

* * *

 **Another chapter complete. I'm banging these out faster than I expected. I think it's because I'm honestly enjoying this quite a bit. I hope _you_ enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Glossary**

 **1.** **Tsuchikage: Earth Shadow.**

 **2\. ANBU (Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai): Special assassination and tactical squad.**

 **3\. Buntaicho: Captain, or squad leader.**

 **Jutsu**

 **1\. S** **hunshin no jutsu (Body Flicker): Utilizes chakra for high speed movement. D-rank**

 **2.** **Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique): A space-time ninjutsu, which summons specific objects, or even living things to help the user. C-rank**

 **3\. C** **hakura no ito (Chakra threads): Using chakra manipulation, a user can create threads of chakra to attach to objects. It is generally used for puppetry, but can be used for different methods. C-rank**

 **4\. C** **hakra thread explosion technique: A jutsu created by Naruto Namikaze. It utilizes chakra threads to detonate exploding tags from afar. C-rank**

 **5.** **Shosen jutsu(Mystic palm Technique): A medical ninjutsu, which speeds up the bodies natural healing process by sending their chakra into the patients wound, or body. Low A-rank**

 **6\. S** **croll sealing method: A fuinjutsu, which allows the user to seal objects into scrolls. Is used generally to seal heavy objects for easier use. Upper D-rank**

 **7\. K** **ibaku fuda (Explosive tags): A fuinjutsu made object, which explodes if chakra is sent into it. C-rank**

 **8\. Durability seals: A seal which strengthens the molecular bonds within a specific object. Upper B-rank**

 **9\. Hiraishin no jutsu (Flying thunder god technique): A highly advanced space-time ninjutsu, which utilizes markers via fuinjutsu. The user uses these markers to enter a dimensional void, and instantaneously appear at the marker. S-rank**

 **Other**

 **1\. X-rank: Something I created myself. I found that certain missions were too difficult for the S rank. I mean, if chasing down Sasuke was S rank, then Jounin must be making bank.**

 **2\. Base Granite: An Iwa base, that guards one of Iwa's main trade routes.**


	5. My Own Way

**Chapter Five**

 **My Own Way**

 _Naruto walked down the sprawling streets of Konoha with a spring in his step. It was a cool October night, and nearly all of the village's citizens and shinobi were out having a great time._ _Turning around, he looked toward his silver haired companion, who had his forehead protector covering his left eye._

 _"Kakashi! Do you think we will see a shooting star tonight? Father said that they are super lucky and stuff," the blonde boy asked, scouting the sky with his hand in the shape of a visor._

 _The fourteen year old Hatake's lone eye drifted to the sky, "Well, it is pretty cloudy, but I suppose anything is possible." Just then, Kakashi noticed the clouds above them dissipate, "What in the world?"_

 _The masked shinobi's questioned was answered, when a mountain sized orange fox appeared with a massive puff of smoke. Its large nine tails swayed to and fro, causing a light wind to buffet the area._

 _All was silent within Konohagakure no sato, until the fox raised one of its building sized claws, "Naruto!" Kakashi yelled, as he dove onto the blonde with speed he didn't know he had. With a roar, the fox smashed its appendage through countless structures in a sweeping motion. Debris sailed through the air, crashing into other houses and buildings within the area._

 _Naruto was too shocked to move, as he heard the screaming and the destruction. His masked companion; however, had no such reservations. Kakashi picked up the blonde, and took off in the opposite direction of the beast._

 _Naruto managed to break his shock, and look over the retreating Hatake's shoulder. Houses, buildings, even people flew through the air from the thrashing creature. He noticed how a man was crushed underneath a piece of large debris, while he desperately tried to protect a newborn child. Silent tears trailed down his frozen face, as Kakashi dodged the occasional object in their path._

 _A massive black staff suddenly smashed into the fox, pushing it right over the duo. The force of the flying creature forced them apart, as Naruto careened into a nearby window of a partly collapsed house. The boy shook his head, before placing his shaky hands onto the ground to stand. However, shards of glass from the window stabbed into his felsh with a crunch. Yelping, the boy rolled onto his back to escape the pain. He sobbed in agony, as he took in the horror of the situation._

 _Two slender hands grabbed onto his shoulders, "Come with me Namikaze-sama, I'll get you to a safer place." The child didn't even react when the person lifted him, before carrying him into a nearby room. As he turned he saw that his savior was a young woman, with brown hair and matching eyes, "Will the monster get us?" The blonde asked, while she set him inside a bathtub, "I will protect you-" She was cut off, as the house collapsed onto itself. The ceiling and the roofing landed onto the two, as a sick snapping sound was heard._

 _Naruto yelled in pain, as plaster and wood shavings fell into his mouth and eyes. His leg felt like it was on fire, and his head was throbbing. His arms were pinned by something, so the boy shook his aching head in an attempt to get the foreign substance out of his eyes. After several minutes of shaking and spitting, the blonde managed to open his eyes to something that he would never forget. The young woman who saved him was split in two by the immense weight that landed on her. The upper half of the corpse rested on him, as copious amounts of blood and bile pooled underneath._

 _The blonde just stared into the lifeless eyes of the woman, as the distant sounds of combat slowly came to a end. Shuffling was heard, as the roof was slowly lifted by Kakashi Hatake. With a grunt, the masked shinobi pushed the large piece of roofing over, revealing the young Namikaze, "God, what a mess." Kakashi muttered as he went to help the boy out of his hell._

* * *

Naruto started awake with a sharp intake of breath. His eyes bulged, before he quickly turned over onto the cold forest floor, and promptly vomited, ' _That was...was that what happened?_ The boy let out a rugged cough, 'A _beast with unimaginable strength; the Kyubi._

The lifeless face of the young woman flashed through his head, as dread welled up inside him. He was absolutely terrified of the memories, of what happened to him. Now he knew why his mind repressed them, because it was only logical, ' _I must get stronger, so I can defeat even the Kyubi if need be. I will never feel these sick emotions ever again. I will be stronger!'_

The blonde wiped his mouth, 'W _ait, forest floor? What the hell-'_ Several recent memories struck him at once, ' _Kazuya and those Iwa shinobi.'_ Naruto took in his surroundings, and found that night had fell. The surrounding trees were spread fairly far apart, and the cold ground was hard as a rock.

Hearing the snap of a branch, the blonde whipped around with a kunai in his hand, before slamming a dark figure into a tree, "Wait Naruto it's me!" The blonde narrowed his eyes, and found out that it was Kazuya he had in his iron grip.

Naruto quickly released him, "Kazuya don't be so loud, now tell me what happened." The red haired boy smiled, "You should have seen it, my-uh-our dad came out of nowhere and started fighting those bad guys!" He punched the air as if to animate what happened.

The cripple scowled, "Then why don't I hear anything, and where is father?"

Kazuya frowned, "You were thrown down a hill when dad appeared, and he told me to run away. So, I came and found you.

The blonde looked thoughtful, ' _Father must have taken the fight far away enough, so that he wouldn't cause any harm to Kazuya.'_

Dad is the Hokage; he can't lose right? He is the strongest!" The young Uzumaki looked hopeful, but a twinge of nervousness overtook his features.

"I guess Zetsu was right, Kitsuchi's team really did pull it off. Even _I_ would have struggled with such a feat," Both Namikaze's spun around, with Naruto tossing his kunai at the speaker.

With snort, the figure caught the offending tool, before dropping it haphazardly to the ground, "That wasn't very nice."

The figure slowly stepped closer, his spiral orange mask a stark contrast to his black cloak with red clouds, "I didn't think a crippled _boy_ would have such spunk. Then again, I was in your boat not too long ago myself."

"Who are you!" Kazuya asked, as Naruto pulled a scroll out from under his haori's sleeve.

The masked man smirked, "Who I am is irrelevant, what I want is more important. Now, come with me Kazuya." The blonde next to Kazuya snarled, before unfurling the scroll onto the ground. He then placed his hand onto it as a burst of smoke overtook him.

The red haired boy watched with wide eyes, as the cloaked figure stood motionless, "Hmm, Sasori would be quite interested in a crippled boy who reverse engineered his _art."_

Standing in front of Naruto was a tattered cloaked puppet with an elongated head that looked akin to a helmet. Its face was completely blank, except for a long slit across where the eyes would be, "Meet spectre, my first puppet. Judging by how you spoke of the Iwa shinobi, I'm guessing you are as strong, if not stronger than them. Kazuya," The mentioned boy gave his brother full attention, "Run away from here, I'll attempt to hold him off."

The masked man laughed darkly, as the red haired Namikaze's jaw dropped, "Brother I can't leave you; we can take him together!"

Naruto's face grew murderous, "You are not my brother you piece of shit! I hate you, your ugly mother, and our poor excuse for a father! Now leave!" Kazuya teared up as he clambered away. However, the cloaked figure was behind him in an instant, "Did you really think you could run from me? How foolish."

Just before he could grab the Uzumaki; however, spectre appeared in between them in a flash. A double edged sword was in each of its two hands, as the puppet lashed out with them. The masked man merely back stepped to dodge the attack, which caused the now hiding puppeteer to grin.

A snapping noise was heard, as countless senbon flew out from behind the puppets cloak. Naruto's enemy made no attempt to move out of the way of the projectiles, as they seemingly passed through his body. Undeterred, the puppeteer twitched several fingers, causing the puppet to aim its senbon attack to underneath his foe.

When the senbon stopped, the man clapped his hands once, "I'm impressed, you fight like an experienced genin. However, you are no match for me _boy._ "

Naruto could almost hear him grin, but he was prepared. He put his right hand into a half ram seal, while simultaneously twitching all the fingers back on his left hand. The result was spectre jumping back, while all the senbon underneath and behind the man exploded.

With no where to go but forward, the masked man did just that. However, he was met with spectre's blades. The puppet sent out a flurry of attacks that would be unseen to the untrained eye. In response, the cloaked man nimbly dodged every attack, before back kicking the puppet into a nearby tree, "Did I say Genin? Because I meant Chunin," The man then whistled as Naruto pulled his puppet from the dented tree with his chakra threads, "That was most impressive Naruto-kun, but are we done here?"

The Namikaze merely glared at his foe, _'My lack of experience is holding me back, anxiousness and fear are holding me back. I have to use my intellect at this point, I cannot force my way out of this one.'_

"Tell me _boy,_ why do you persist? I thought you disliked your village, as well as your family. Did you find new found love?" The masked man's voice was devoid of any emotion, even though his words were mocking.

The blonde stretched his aching fingers, "I do not _love_ my family, nor the village. However, I cannot condemn someone I haven't even truly met before," _If he wants to talk, then this battle is already a victory.'_

"Then tell me Namikaze, would you feel the same about your sibling if you knew he was a jinchuuriki?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "Jinchuuriki? I've read about that before, it means 'power of human sacrifice," His genius mind went into overdrive at the buzzword, ' _The word 'jinchuuriki was generally used synonymously with the phrase: weapon of war,'_ His eyes widened, ' _Kazuya was born on October 10th nearly four years ago, same as when the Kyubi appeared in the village. When asked about what happened to the beast, Seiji said it was teleported out of Konoha via hiraishin. No one knows what happened to the Kyubi, it is only logical that it would be weaponized.' A swift realization washed over him_

 _"He is the jinchuuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko..." He couldn't believe it, his worst fear was his brother. What kind of sick joke was this?_

The cloaked shinobi chuckled, "And that isn't all. Not only does that village harbor what ruined your life, but also some of the darkest secrets. Like how Kushina Uzumaki was the previous holder of the Kyubi. And how Minato knew that her seal holding the beast would weaken during child birth, and still allowed her to produce Kazuya within the village," He lied, but his voice gave nothing away.

"He still allowed it...so many deaths could have been avoided..." Naruto was angry, his entire body shook with unbridled rage. However, it slipped away in an instant, as a cold mask of indifference slid over his face.

"Do you know how many explosive tags can be sealed within the average scroll?," The blonde didn't even blink as he spoke.

The masked man smirked underneath his mask, "Enlighten me Naruto-kun," The man looked comfortable in his confidence, good.

"Well over one hundred-thousand. However, I had roughly five hundred on me, which a **Kage Bunshin(Shadow clone)** has been lining the ground beneath out feet throughout the duration of our conversation."

The masked man's lone eye widened, as the ground lit up with a bright white light.

* * *

Kitsuchi let out a haggard breath while on all fours. All the trees within several hundred feet were leveled, and many of the earthen structures that littered the field were slowly crumbling apart. The air was thick with chakra, as he gazed upon the dead bodies of his squad members. Foot steps drew his attention upward.

"I didn't think Oonoki would be so bold, sending in a team like that. I would be impressed with your work if I wasn't so livid," the voice of the Yodaime Hokage was cold, as his icy blue eyes pierced the Iwa shinobi's.

"We didn't find a marker on your son, so how were you able to use that blasted technique!" Kitsuchi was angry, not at the blonde Kage, not at himself, but at his father. ' _This war shouldn't have even happened.'_

Minato's eyes narrowed, "I will not give you any answers, just know that your village's understanding of my jutsu is limited," the blonde sweeped his arm, "Your squad has been defeated, you are all that is left. However, I plan to use you to end this war; you won't be going home to a victorious village."

The Iwa shinobi grimaced; a defeated look took over his features. Kitsuchi was resigning himself to be a prisoner of war, when a incredible light nearly blinded him, as a massive rush of air slammed into the two.

"Kazuya!" Minato yelled, running full speed into the tree line.

As quick as he could, Kitsuchi lifted his sleeve with a kunai poised. Channeling his chakra, Minato's hiraishin **jutsu-shiki(Technique formula)** appeared, "I won't be caught again," he said, as he plunged his knife into the mark.

* * *

Iwas shinobi were taught a young age to never fear death. For death was just a shinobi's final phase of life. The final phase of serving their village as best as they could. Few other shinobi took this to heart like Gari of the explosion fist. As one of Iwagakure's strongest, he struck fear into the hearts of nearly every one of his enemies. Being able to blow another man apart with a punch did that. However, Gari's final phase was coming to an end, he just knew it. Just under a hundred feet from the valley of the end, he laid letting out ragged breaths.

He set up the perfect diversion for Kitsuchi's squad, but was overwhelmed by the yellow flash and his wife. He managed to fend off the red haired woman, his squad; however, was wiped out by the Yodaime Hokage. He only got away because of the blonde's sudden disappearance, but not without sustaining grievous wounds. And now here he lay, beaten by the village he loathed most.

' _I suppose it makes sense, dying to the enemy and all. But, why couldn't I beat that red haired bitch? With her death I would have been satisfied with mine.'_

His thoughts were cut short by the crunching of leaves, ' _F_ _ootsteps,'_ he thought. _'So, they've come to finish me off eh? That's fine, I'm dead anyway.'_ He managed to turn his head enough to see his executioner.

"You are Gari of the explosion fist correct? You have a **kekkei genkai(bloodline limit)** , which allows you to combine both **doton(earth)** and **raiton(lightning)** elements to generate intense explosions," the speaker was young, but a **kasa(conical hat)** made it difficult to discern any age.

The Iwa shinobi blinked, "Yeah, but you aren't a Konoha shinobi are you?"

The figure was still for several moments, "I'm not a shinobi of any village Gari. Why do you ask?"

Blood leaked down Gari's mouth as he let out a hard cough, "Do me a favor, and burn my body. I cannot allow the secrets of it to fall into the wrong hands," the bloodline wielder's vision started to blur, and was unable to see the cold red eyes of the boy, as he lifted his kasa with a thumb.

"Don't worry Gari, your body will be in good hands. In fact, I know just the thing to put it to good use..."

* * *

 **Another chapter finished! I didn't have much time with the holidays and all, but I managed to complete this one just after Christmas. I'm quite proud of this chapter, my words came together well. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Glossary**

 **Jutsu-shiki(Technique formula): The mark used by Minato Namikaze to utilize his Hiraishin no jutsu.**

 **Kekkei genkai(Bloodline limit): Specialized abilities passed down through families.**

 **I've decided to implement stats for every chapter with significant fighting. What are your thoughts?**

 **Stats**

 **Naruto Namikaze**

 **Ninjutsu: 3.5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 2/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 3.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5/6**

 **Strength: 2/6**

 **Speed: 2.5/6**

 **Stamina: 3/6**

 **Hand Seals: 3.5/6**

 **Total: 27**

 **Gari**

 **Ninjutsu: 5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 5/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4/6**

 **Intelligence: 4.5/6**

 **Strength: 4/6**

 **Speed: 4.5/6**

 **Stamina: 4/6**

 **Hand Seals: 3.5/6**

 **Total: 37**


	6. A-class Encounter Part: 1

**Chapter Six**

 **A-class Encounter Part: 1**

Six months. It has been six months since the apparent death of his eldest son. The explosion that rocked over a mile of fire country forest left no evidence. His youngest, who was barely outside the blast radius, mentioned that Naruto was at its epicenter.

 _'I wasn't fast enough_.'

He had no time to wallow in self pity however, as the war was still going strong. And seeing as how Kitsuchi managed to get away, there wouldn't be any easy way out. It was also highly unlikely that he would get a chance like that again.

More shinobi perished. Men became widowers, women became widows and life moves on without a care. He needed to keep it together though. For his village's sake and for his family's sake.

A knock on his office door ripped him out of his depressing thoughts, "Enter."

His assistant opened the door, "Hokage-sama, the council is ready for you," she said with a bow.

He stood quickly, "Very well."

Before Naruto's death he was fighting for his village's survival and for the well being of the next generation. But now it was different. For the first time as Hokage, Minato Namikaze would be fighting for very personal reasons.

With a flutter of his specialized Haori, the Yodaime Hokage passed his still bowing assistant.

The world hasn't seen the Yellow Flash on the battlefield in over five years. Iwagakure and her allies would know why he was feared.

 _'Next time, I will be fast enough!'_

* * *

"Well looky what we have here boys!" An exuberant male spoke, before coming out of the treeline. Several other men joined him, all armed with various weaponry, "It's a lone traveler. My guess is that he-or she which I hope is the case-is trying to escape the war by heading to the coast. Well I'll let you in on a secret friend, there is no escape from this shit, which is why my band and I are here to weed out the hopeful!"

The mentioned traveler stood at an average height, with a gray cloak and a kasa which concealed any features. After several moments of silence, the bandit leader spoke, "No response huh? Well how about this: fork over all your **ryo** and valuables, and we will let you go with only a minor beating. I think that's a rather fair deal, don't you boys?" The laughter of the other men was all the confirmation he needed.

In a flash, the cloaked figure was in front of the leader with a fist poised, " **Bakuton: Jiraiken(Explosion release: Landmine fist)** ," the blow nearly folded the bandit in two, before he violently exploded, sending rubble and extremities flying.

The resulting shock wave blew the hat off the shinobi's head, unveiling green eyes and light-brown hair.

The other bandits stood in shock, "He-he blew up Kaigo; he's a fuckin' shinobi! I'm out of here!" One of the more overweight members of the band said, as he booked it back into the forest. Getting over their shock, the other bandits stumbled after him, their weapons forgotten.

After a moment a ruffling was heard, as a young boy with blonde hair and a brown cloak stepped out from the shrubbery behind the shinobi, "Good job Gari, you exceeded my expectations." Silence was the response, to which Naruto frowned, "I shouldn't have expected a puppet to speak, even a human one."

 _'Although.'_ he thought, _'I'm glad I tested human puppetry on various bandits out here, before I used Gari's corpse. Took close to six months to reverse engineer Sasori's deranged art.'_

Human puppetry was one of the most vile techniques that he's ever heard of. Although, it honestly made a lot of sense. Why would you not put the corpses of the dead to use? It was a waste of talent if you asked him.

While vile, Naruto did have to concede to the overwhelmingly positive results. Standard puppets on average, have less durability, versatility and even power. Since your run of the mill puppets use wood due to it its flexible nature, as well as metal, it is difficult to channel chakra through them. This is the case even with chakra conductive material. But human puppets? They have the chakra pathway system like all human beings within the Elemental Nations. And using chakra, you can easily manipulate them. This is because human bodies are _born_ with the ability to manipulate chakra, while wood and metal is not.

And if you have a puppet with a kekkei genkai? Then you become a force to be reckoned with.

The process of making human puppets though, is beyond arduous. Just _one_ mistake could damage the corpse, causing failure for the entire project. This is where he was thanking whatever deity out there that he had Seiji to teach him medical ninjutsu. Although it took roughly six months, and over forty corpses before he had the confidence to work on Gari, it was definitely worth it.

The act of creating one was not for the feint of heart however. You have to remove all the organs, drain the blood and even install weapons and such within the puppet. This is the reason why Sasori was ostracized before he abandoned his village. ' _it's funny,'_ he mused, ' _People will brutally torture and murder others during war, but condemn those who create a weapon out of the dead.'_

The blonde turned his gaze toward one of the bandit's mangled arms, _'The power of a kekkei genkai allowed me to get to this level. I'm guessing Sasori's human puppets are what pushes him into S-class.'_ He scratched his chin, ' _Either way, It's time to pay **Nami no Kuni(Land of Waves)** __a visit **.** From there, I'll see what the ruins of **Uzushiogakure no Sato(Village Hidden by Whirling Tides)** has to offer._

* * *

Nami no Kuni looked like a pile of literal filth he thought. After bypassing several bandit groups patrolling the area-which he found peculiar-Naruto walked across the water to the coastal village. The first thing he noticed was the acrid stench. The second thing was the filthy children in the streets, and a man getting beaten in an alleyway by a thug.

People come here to escape the war, just to run into another one. Only humans could be so malevolent, and only life could be so unforgiving.

Walking into the alleyway holding the thug, he cleared his throat loudly, "Hey balding asshole, over here."

The ruffian dropped the bloody man he was beating, before turning toward Naruto. An eye patch stretched across his face, and leather armor donned his body, "The fuck you say kid? I'll fuckin' rip your tongue right outta your head!"

The man stepped forward to execute a charge, but stopped as the blonde disappeared from his sight. He recoiled in shock, "What the hell?" Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around with a savage hay maker.

Hitting nothing but air, he noticed several senbon protruding from his out stretched arm. With a groan, his arm went limp, as he felt a tap on his shoulder yet again. Spinning around with a snarl, he went for a ruthless back fist with his good arm. With a smirk, the blonde caught the offending appendage, before slamming a senbon into the thug's throat before he could even hope to react. The man's eyes went white, as he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Turning to the now gobsmacked victim, he narrowed his eyes, "I'm not from around here, so enlighten me as to why bandits have taken over your village. And while your at it, tell me why this place is in such disarray."

A barely noticeable lump formed on one of the man's cheeks as he began to speak, an indicative sign of a broken jaw he mused.

"Gato is the reason kid," His voice was shaky, as some blood leaked from his mouth. "Gato is a ruthless, heartless businessman, who has recently taken over Wave with no problems due to the war."

Naruto was stoic as the man before him rubbed his jaw, "I'm guessing these bandits were hired by this Gato?"

The man nodded, "He hired these bandits-mercenaries really-to browbeat, and physically force us into doing whatever he wants. He also has control of the now booming slave trade, with the war, Gato is making serious profits on slavery. It's awful."

Silence blanketed the area, as the man started to silently cry. The blonde sighed, before turning around to leave, "That which doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger. You are too aged to become a shinobi, so strengthen your mind. You have lived today, learn from your mistakes and better yourself."

And with that, Naruto Namikaze left the beaten man to his thoughts.

* * *

Concealed at the top of a tree on the outskirts of a mansion, Naruto's genius mind flared, _'My only concern is if he has any shinobi guards under his thumb. I'm going to say yes, because anyone with the amount of wealth Gato has accumulated, would be ridiculously cautious. The real question is if the shinobi is a significant threat.'_

Finding Gato's base of operations wasn't a particularly difficult task, given that all he had to do was follow one incompetent mercenary for a few hours. Unsurprisingly, the business tycoon lived in an extravagant five story mansion. The massive structure was patrolled by an ample amount of guards, which was still child's play to even mere genin shinobi.

The blonde watched as two bandits that were arguing earlier, start to brawl, "Feeble minded." He muttered

 _'I highly doubt the shinobi is S-rank, since they usually have their own agendas. So, the worst I can encounter is an A-ranked ninja. They will also probably be from **Kirigakure no Sato** , seeing how Gato controls the trade routes from here to there. Any Kiri missing-nin would jump at the chance to hide behind Gato's political invulnerability. But, can I reasonably fight an A-class threat? Even with Gari, it would be life or death. _

One of the bandits that started to lose pulled a knife out from under his sleeve, before jamming it into his opponents liver, _'If I can out smart the shinobi, then it is feasible. But, can I really count on my intelligence in every fight? Am I over relying on it?'_

He smiled in realization, _'I'm overthinking it. I'll use a shadow clone to test the waters, and retreat if the opponent is problematic.'_

Silently dropping down to the ground, Naruto **Henged(Transformation technique)** into the mercenary he followed earlier. Putting on the same scowl as the bandit had, he strolled through the patrols.

Nobody even batted an eye at him, as he made his way to the front doors of Gato's mansion. A rather large bandit stood at the double doors with his arms crossed, "Shen, what do you want you little shit?" He asked.

Playing his roll, he snarled, "Fuck off, I have information for the boss. I saw some guy who actually transformed himself into one of us. I think he is a shinobi!"

His eyebrows rose, "I'll bring this to the boss's attention-"

"No, you need to guard the door just in case he comes through here. I can easily do it," He interrupted. The guard frowned, before opening the door, "Be quick about it, the boss is busy with that lightning-sword bitch."

Walking passed the guard, his expression turned stoic, ' _Lightning-sword bitch?' That sounds like ninjutsu to me. I've read about applying raiton chakra to weaponry to increase cutting power. Could this shinobi be from **Kumogakure no Sato**?'_

Walking through the vast halls of the mansion, he heard a laugh from a room close to him. Putting his ear to the door, he heard grunting with the occasional sound of mewling. Opening the door, he took in the situation. A large male was on top of a woman, whose face was covered in blood, tears and snot.

 _'So, this is what rape is. Compared to the outrage this educes, it all seems rather dull,'_ He thought, before closing the door.

The man immediately stopped, and turned toward him with his man bits hanging out, "The fuck are ya doin' in here?"

Naruto drew two senbon, before tossing them with unerring precision. One struck the man's jaw, and the other struck below the belt. In an instant the man was on the ground, making frantic, pained noises through his nose.

The blonde turned to the traumatized woman, "Stay quiet, and you can possibly leave here alive."

Taking her quick nod as a sign of agreement, he walked over to the man holding his injured genitalia, before kneeling down, "Listen here you waste of space. I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, and you _will_ comply. If you do not, I'll cut them off, okay?"

The bandit nodded the affirmative, before Naruto carefully took his senbon out of the man's jaw, "First question: where is Gato's office? I'm guessing that is where he spends his time."

The mercenary was sweating up a storm, "I-it's at the top floor. J-just take a left from t-the stairs in the west wing."

The Namikaze nodded, "Last question: I know your boss has employed a shinobi. What is her name, and where does she hail from? Tell me everything you know about her. If you do, I won't hurt, or kill you.

The man actually smiled in relief, "Her name is Ameuri Ringo, a-and she hails from Kiri. A-all's I know is that she uses these two lightning swords to cut through shit like b-butter. That's all I know man, I swear."

Naruto smirked, "Thank you for your cooperation. And as promised, I will let you live. However," He through a kunai which embedded itself in front of the woman. "I never said anything about her. He then slammed the senbon back into his jaw, before taking his leave.

* * *

Gato was one happy man. Being a multi-billion ryo businessman meant that almost everything was easy. Killing, fucking, purchasing, living, these things and more were anything but a chore.

Sitting at his desk flanked by his trusty samurai, Gato laughed to himself, _'So they think they can build themselves a bridge do they? What idiots, I'll crush them before a single man lifts a plank of wood.'_

A knock at his office door knocked him out of his scheming, "Who the fuck is it?"

"My name is Shen sir, I have very important news for you," The voice was muffled by the mahogany wood.

Gato scowled, "Zori, Waraji, let him in," Zori nodded toward Waraji, before walking over and opening the door. He then grabbed 'Shen,' before pushing him onto his knees in front of Gato's desk.

The tycoon smirked, "Speak trash."

shen nodded, "While I was in town, I noticed a man in an alleyway transform into one of us. He looked identical to someone I'm buddies with, so I came over to tell you personally sir."

"A shinobi?" Waraji mused, as Gato snarled, "What did he look like before he did his little magic trick?"

Shen's form turned into a puff of smoke, before two kunai launched out of it toward both samurai. One embedded itself into the closer Zori's neck, while the other pierced Waraji's shoulder. The now revealed Naruto was in front of the injured man in less then a second with the kunai from Zori's corpse. In one swift motion the knife was inside one of Waraji's eyes that were still looking at the plume of smoke.

"He looked like me," The blondes tone was chipper, as the samurai's body hit the ground with a thud.

The tycoon was at a loss of words, as he looked between his late guardsmen. The Namikaze smirked, "Here's the deal Gato: you give up all your information-budgeting, offshore and onshore accounts, all your money-and I'll let you live."

Before he gave a response, the office door exploded revealing a short red haired woman with two jagged swords in each hand. She smirked showing her shark-like teeth, "It seems I came just in time Gato."

The mentioned man had a full blown smile, "No you little blonde shit, _here's_ the deal: you die, and I spend the rest of the day watching your body burn!"

Naruto fully turned toward the female of the room, "You must be Ameyuri Ringo. If i'm not mistaken you were once a member of the **Kiri no** **Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu(Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist)**.

The swordswoman let out a snort, "Yeah, seems you have some knowledge kid. I'm going to have to kill you quick though, I'm getting really sick of these lack of challenges."

The blonde smiled as he was suddenly impaled by one of her swords, "You shouldn't underestimate me." His body then radiated white light, before detonating."

* * *

For the mercenaries outside the mansion, life was pretty good. They got free food, a free place to stay. Hell, they even got free woman to toy around with every once and a while. However, none of them really took in the dangerous nature of their job.

The massive explosion that nearly took off the fifth story of the mansion changed their thoughts very quickly. Some of them were crushed by falling debris, while the others scrambled away from the blasting zone.

Without a sound Ameyuri appeared with Gato under her arm, before she dropped him in the courtyard, "What the fuck was that you red haired bitch! You let that little shit blow up my office!"

Ignoring her employer, the former Kiri shinobi drew her swords with a scowl, _'Maybe I will have a bit of fun today.'_

A cloaked figure coming out of nearby rubble caught her attention. She raised an eyebrow at the elongated head of the figure, ' _Did the kid put on a helmet or something?'_

"Whatever, let's go kid!" She yelled, before utilizing a shunshin no jutsu to get in front of Spectre. With a smirk, she swung one of her blades forward, only to be met by a blade of the puppets own. With grunt, the shinobi swung her other sword vertically, which was met by Spectre's second sword.

A deranged grin now spread across her features, as she let loose a flurry of strikes unseen by every non-shinobi in the area. In response, the hidden Namikaze moved his fingers at blinded speeds, which caused Spectre to match Ameyuri blow for blow.

After a short scuffle, Naruto twitched both his middle fingers backward, which caused the puppet to disengage, _'Spectre can't keep up with her, the wood and metal is straining.'_

The red head scoffed at the maneuver, before channeling lightning chakra through her prized blades. The reaction was immediate, her swords now radiated lighting. The sparks danced between her swords, as her perpetual smile grew even wider, "You have amused me kid, but can you handle me when I start to get serious?"

The blonde inwardly scoffed, before twitching his pinky and ring fingers. Spectre's chest underneath its cloak opened, and countless senbon flew toward the electrified shinobi, _'Puppet?'_ She thought, before barreling toward Spectre while simultaneously knocking every senbon out of the air with her swords.

The cripple's left eye twitched, _'She is going too fast to detonate them effectively.'_

As the former Kiri shinobi came withing a meter of his puppet, Naruto twitched his left thumb. In response, Spectre's helmet rolled backward revealing a steel tube. Ameyuri's eyes widened, as a stream of fire exploded from the protrusion.

Gato gawked as his only hope was obscured by the torrent of flame, "You better not be dead Ringo!"

After several seconds the flames stopped, and dark smoke permeated the air. From the nearby rubble, the hiding blonde's eyes narrowed, _'Too easy, she is still out there. She wouldn't have been a part of the seven swordsmen otherwise.'_

The ground underneath Spectre caved in, as a sword wreathed in lightning sliced the puppet in two.

Naruto's eyes widened, _'She used doton to hide underneath the ground?'_ He then reflexively ducked the now revealed swordswoman's blade. She smirked, "I found ya, I didn't expect a little kid like you to be a puppeteer!"

 _'Shit! In close quarters I'm as good as dead!'_ With a grunt, he grabbed a piece of rubble with his chakra threads, before pulling it in front of him. Ameyuri sliced right through it with ease, before dodging the now bifurcated Spectre's haphazard punch. With a laugh, she sliced through the half of the puppet with unnerving ease. Her grin disappeared as her experienced eyes narrowed. There was a explosive note attached to Spectre's innards.

Ringo easily shunshined out of the blast radius, before a small plume of smoke caught her attention, ' _He's over there, huh? The kid is pretty good, he managed to last a few seconds while directly in front of me.'_

As the smoke cleared, the form of Gari of the explosion fist was revealed, "Another puppet eh? Well that's okay, maybe this one will actually put a scratch on me!"

* * *

 **I know, I know, what a dick move. Cliffhangers are cliche, but I need to really think about what is coming next in Remembrance. I know it might seem like a pernicious thing to do, but trust me, I'm doing this for a better long-run.**

 **Now, I have decided to have Naruto set off on his own. This might have mixed reactions out of the people following this story, because I'm sure some of you wanted him to stay in Konoha. I started out this story as a neglect fan fiction, but I soon realized that I want the story to go into a more realistic direction. I apologize if I lead some of you on, but I didn't want to make an unrealistic story for you all(I know fan fiction itself is supposed to be unrealistic, but suspension of disbelief is a thing.)**

 **Also this story is a about 4,000 words, so scratch my previous statement of 2,000+ for every chapter. I realized that this story is going to be far more grandiose than I original planned. Expect 3,000-5,000+ words per chapter.**

 **Jutsu**

 **Henged(Transformation technique): Allows the user to transform into anything from another person, to even inanimate objects. E-Ranked**

 **Bakuton: Jiraiken(Explosion release: Landmine fist): A kekkei genkai ability that causes an explosion on contact with the user's fist. The explosion is outward, so little harm could come to the user. Upper B-Ranked**

 **Stats**

 **Naruto Namikaze**

 **Ninjutsu: 4/6**

 **Taijutsu: 3/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5/6**

 **Strength: 2/6**

 **Speed: 3.5/6**

 **Stamina: 3/6**

 **Hand Seals: 4/6**

 **Total: 31.5**

 **XXX**

 **Ameyuri Ringo**

 **Ninjutsu: 4/6**

 **Taijutsu: 4.5/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 5.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 3/6**

 **Strength: 3/6**

 **Speed: 4.5/6**

 **Stamina: 3/6**

 **Hand Seals: 3.5/6**

 **Total: 33**


	7. A-class Encounter Part: 2

**Chapter 7**

 **A-class Encounter Part: 2**

Panting behind his human puppet, Naruto grimaced, _'I was so confident in my ability, that I was blinded by it. If I make it out of this alive, then I will never make the same mistake again!'_

Without taking his eyes off his opponent, he threw down several smoke bombs obscuring both himself and Gari, _'She easily has me in physical ability, but I seem to have the edge in intelligence and versatility.'_

Seeing the cloud of smoke conceal the blonde, Ameyuri grinned, _'Impeding your opponent's vision is useless if I can still hear or smell you!'_ With that thought, the swordswoman shunshined right into the smoke cloud.

Immediately picking up the smell of sweat, she smirked. Without hand seals, she created a **Mizu bushin(Water clone)** which ran toward the direction of the scent. After several tense moments, Ringo heard the sound of water hitting the ground to her right, ' _Gotcha kid!'_

With a savage smile plastered on her face, she sent lighting through her swords, before charging in at full speed.

Skidding to a stop at the intended area, she glanced around in confusion, _'I could have sworn I heard-'_ She stopped mid thought and snarled, before putting up a ram hand seal, "Kai!"

In an instant, the smoke cloud dissipated, before she quickly dodged a hail of explosive kunai, _'Damn genjutsu.'_ Noticing movement in her peripheries, she tuned to make a swipe at it.

Missing the now revealed Gari, she made for another attack with her second blade. The human puppet ducked the attack, before laying its hands onto the ground, **"Bakuton: Bakuhatsu Tenohira!(Explosion Release: Exploding Palm!)"** In a flash of white light, the ground underneath and around Ameyuri Ringo erupted with a deafening **boom**.

With wide eyes, the former Kiri shinobi brought her swords down, **"** **Raiton: Bakurai!(Lightning release: Depth charge!)"** A massive lightning bolt slammed into Ameyuri, as she was engulfed by Gari's intense explosion.

Rubble was sent flying, as lightning streaked across the battlefield. Some of the bandits that were too close were knocked off their feet, as the ones further away were scorched by rogue bolts of electricity. Gato was huddling behind debris, while muttering silent curses at the shinobi.

The electrically charged air was filled with a pungent smell, as the smoke cleared from the aftermath. Ameyru Ringo stood hunched over with a scowl marring her face. Her clothes were littered with cuts and burns, while blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, _'That was a kekkei genkai.'_ She wiped her mouth, _'A puppet with a kekkei genkai, where have I heard of that before?'_ A smirk slowly spread across her face.

"Human puppetry!" She shouted toward Gari, who was standing in the crater formed from their combined attacks, "To think a kid like you would use something so fucked up! What pushed you to do something like that, huh?"

The former Kiri nin scoffed at the lack of response, before raising her Kiba swords, **"** **Raiton: Raiga!(Lightning release: Lightning Fang!)"** Several bolts of lightning raced across the crater toward the human puppet. Gari jumped into the air dodging the attack, but was met by Ameyuri's Kiba blades, "Game over!" She roared, decapitating the puppet in one swift motion.

As the head of Gari rolled across the ground, the swordswoman grinned savagely, "Now, where has the little puppeteer gone off to? Don't tell me, I love chasing down my prey!" Before she could start her hunt, two hands grabbed onto her ankles from under the ground, "What!"

 **"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no jutsu!(Earth release: Double suicide decapitation technique!)"**

Ringo managed to get one leg free, before the other was dragged underground. Turning to her right she saw the headless puppet disipate in cloud of smoke, _'He made a shadow clone, before hengeing into his own puppet?'_ She thought incredulously.

She attempted to pull her leg free, but realized that Naruto was still holding her leg underground. A crack in the earth was her only warning, before Gari exploded out of it with a fist poised, **"Bakuton: Jiraiken!(Explosion release: Landmine fist!)"**

Her swords now electrified, Ameyuri brought them in front of herself in an X pattern. The blow slammed into the blades, forcibly ripping her leg out of the ground as she was pushed back, before the point of contact detonated.

The former Kiri nin was sent sailing into the nearby tree line with a trail of smoke, as Naruto pulled himself out of the ground. Gasping for air, he collapsed onto all fours, _'She let herself be pushed to get free from my grasp, which simultaneously cut the damage of the bakuton attack in two.'_

He shakily stood, ' _I'm nearly out of chakra, I really hope that was enough to keep her down.'_

Twitching his fingers in reaction, Gari grabbed his arm, before yanking him out of the sudden blast of lightening, _'I had to say something; she is probably very upset.'_

The snapping of a branch was heard, as a battered Ameyuri Ringo stumbled out from the treeline, "I-I haven't had a challenge like this in quite a while kid. I'm much stronger than you, but you have used my own weakness against me. I've never been the brightest shinobi, but my instincts and drive put me with the seven swordsmen of the mist!"

Naruto gave an honest smile, "Normally I'd be quite happy with such praise. My potential death looming is giving me pause however."

The redhead gave a hearty laugh in response, which caused the nearby bandits to raise their eyebrows.

A string of chuckles suddenly left the blondes mouth, before it evolved into full blown laughter.

They stood there injured exhausted, giggling and howling at the morbidity of it all. One fought for his ambitions; to become the strongest possible. While the other was simply trying to find her place in the world.

Soon; however, their laughter died down, as the blonde wiped a tear, "Ringo-san, what is your purpose?"

The former Kiri nin raised an eyebrow, "Eh? What are you talking about kid?"

Naruto's gaze grew apathetic, "Do you have dreams, or ambitions? Every human must find a purpose in life, or they are nothing more then a sentient sack of flesh. You are not worth anything unless you find your place, or _create_ your place in the world."

The redhead's smile dimmed, "I once had a 'purpose' as you call it kid. I was at the top of Kiri's fighting force, one of the seven swordsmen. But as fucked up as I am, I couldn't follow the **Mizukage** after the start of the bloody mist..."

The Namikaze watched as the first real emotions pass over her features since the beginning of the fight, "The bloody mist, a period in Kiri that started last year. What happened?"

She grimaced, "He had his most loyal shinobi massacre those with kekkei genkai, as well as those who did not agree with his new regime. The seven swordsmen were his most loyal shinobi, and we were sent out to commit genocide."

A crazed grin exploded across her face, "Men, children, women, he didn't care! Within the first week of the bloody mist, I killed more children and civilians than most shinobi will in their lives! I was a cyclone of death!"

Naruto's visage remained stoic as she calmed down, "I got outta there a few months ago. Since then, I have had no purpose in this shit life. I wander from employer to employer, gaining money...Money for what!"

Silence overtook the two, as her voice echoed around the area. Naruto sighed, "It seems life is cruel to us all. If you come out victorious here, I honestly hope you can find a place in the world...a purpose."

She smirked, "As much as I want to bring out the sake kid, I think it's high time that we end this. What do you say?" The kiba blades charged with electricity, as she set herself into a stance.

Gari stepped in front of the blonde, its emotionless gaze staring down their foe.

With a laugh the former Kiri shinobi sped toward her quarry, intent on removing his head from his body. However, the Namikaze stood motionless, with his hair shadowing his eyes.

 _'I have to kill her, for the betterment of myself, for the progression of my ambitions.'_ He saw her barreling towards him, and he gave a sad smile, ' _It seems that I don't want to kill you. This is a first...'_

Just before she reached him, he put his left hand into a half ram seal, "But I have no choice. It's either you, or _me!_ " He roared, as the redhead's eyes widened, before she tumbled past the blonde. Coming to a stop at a kneeling position, she clutched her stomach and spat out a gob of blood. Horse coughing followed, before she vomited a black substance.

Naruto stood with a cold calculating gaze, watching the blood and bile from her innards stream down to his feet.

"Wh-what d-did you do to me?" She asked, vomiting again, before rolling over onto her side.

The blonde sighed, "I poisoned you Ringo-san..." He said, before sealing Gari back into its scroll.

Her eyes widened, "P-poison, but how? I never let you touch me, I-" She suddenly stopped as a swift understanding washed over her.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "Yes, only once during our entire battle did I come in direct contact with you. After dragging your leg underground with my doton jutsu, I lightly pricked your leg with one of my specialized senbon."

"Specialized?"

The cripple nodded, "The toxin is from Abrus precatorius, or the rosary pea. Normally, a shinobi of your level could shrug it off with only a minor impediment of ability. However, when they are cultivated using the chakra dousing technique, it's effects are accelerated. The potency is also intensified, causing widespread gastrointestinal damage. Your life will end within the next minute."

The former Kiri nin's eyes softened, before a weak grin spread across her features, "You got me good kid. I was dead before I even left the tree line..."

An intense anger bubbled up within the blonde, as he clenched his hands, "How could you resign yourself so easily? Don't you want to live? Don't you want to know if I have an antidote? Is this really how you want to die!" He panted, almost ashamed of his outburst.

A silence overcame the two, as a cold wind flowed through the area. Now that she was resting, Naruto couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. How her long red hair stuck to her lips, how blood flowed from her nose, and how dull her eyes were.

And that was when he noticed with a widening of the eyes, that Ameyuri Ringo was no longer among the living.

* * *

The Yodaime Hokage gazed at the large squad of shinobi kneeling before him. All of them were different in shape, size, skill, personality, and even their dreams. However, the enemy didn't care about any of that. They just wanted to know how strong you are, and if you could bleed.

"You were all hand picked by the council and myself to undertake a high stakes S-ranked mission."

Nearly every shinobi present tensed in response at the declaration, and for good reason. It wasn't every day that you were hand picked for something so perilous. High stake S-ranked missions were never safe, or easy.

Gauging his ninja's reactions, Minato spoke again, "Here is the mission detail: we have received information from Jiraiya-sensei, that Kumo has set up a base at the ruins of Uzushiogakure no Sato right under our nose. As you know, that is very close, a little too close actually. With Iwa and Kumo boring in from the north, north-west, and north-east, this gives them a massive tactical advantage. They wish to create a war on two fronts..."

The blonde swept his gaze from one shinobi to the next, "Your mission is this: cut off Kumo's supply chain, while Jiraiya-sensei and myself cause a diversion in the base itself. The ship bringing their bi-weekly supplies will arrive in one week from today. Squad leader will be Kakashi, while the second in command will be Shisui. Are there any questions?"

He waited several moments before continuing, "This mission will potentially change the tide of this war. If we land a decisive victory here, Kumo will be weakened, and we will gain a base of operations where they have failed. However, if we should fail, The enemy will create a war on two fronts, dividing our forces...

With his preternatural perception, the Hokage noticed the anxiety within his shinobi, "I want all of you to know this, I wholeheartedly believe all of you will get the job done. You all have dreams you want to achieve, and families you want to prosper. So, let's show not just the enemy, but the whole world the resolve Konoha, of the will of fire!"

* * *

The joint war council of Kumo and Iwa was unusually quiet. Onoki sat silent stroking his beard, while the Raikage Ae, sat across from him with his ever present scowl, "Onoki! We have backed you thus far due to our mutual benefit, but this has gone on long enough! You promised swift victory in three years time! And now we are nearly on our fifth!"

Behind Ae stood his brother Killer B, who was nodding his head to an unheard beat, "That's right, your lies are a blight! Oh yeah!"

The Raikage clenched his massive hands, "Shut up B!"

The Tsuchikage snorted, "Please Raikage, don't lecture me on war. Konoha has always been resilient, and we didn't account for Suna not joining our alliance. We should be focusing more on the battle at hand."

Ae visibly calmed somewhat, "And what do you propose? The Uzu base is built and functioning, but Konoha has definitely heard about it by now. Why did you order the troops to let their scout go!"

Onoki nearly sighed, "First, their scout was none other then Jiraiya of the sannin. Unless you want to track him down yourself, no one is going to fight him. Second, we _want_ Konoha to know about the base."

The Raikage's eyes narrowed, "I think I see where you are going with this. You wish to ambush their inevitable strike force, am I right?"

The short Tsuchikage smirked, "Exactly Raikage-dono. They are so confident in Jiraiya's abilities, that they become over confident. They think they will have the element of surprise? Well, let's show those fools what surprise really is..."

* * *

Sitting in the basement turned workshop of Gato's mansion, Naruto wore a light smile. It didn't take long to get the stout tycoon to hand over all the information he demanded. Although, Gato was far more crafty then he had anticipated. Well, that may have been giving him too much credit.

The businessman gave him very authentic looking fakes, which almost had fooled him. That is until he tortured him for five hours straight just in case. He squealed like a little girl after the session, and confessed the truth. He _never_ had any papers with bank codes, or information regarding them. Apparently, the man memorized everything just in case something like this happened.

However, Gato didn't account for a shinobi with broad medical knowledge. Truth serum doesn't _completely_ inhibit the subjects ability to lie, but it is incredibly helpful in ripping the truth from one's brain. Utilizing the most painful torture techniques imaginable while simultaneously using the serum did the trick.

He had Gato write letters with his signature and stamp of approval to every relevant banking company, before having him turn everything over to himself. After giving up Gato to the people of Wave, and becoming its 'savior,' Naruto became the new CEO of Gato Shipping Company.

There was a problem however. He was a genius, but he knew next to nothing about accounting, or running a business. Therefore, he hired an expensive accountant, as well as forced Gato's board of directory to help him in run the business under fear of death.

That wasn't the only problem though. After looking over the profit and loss statement for the company, the blonde noticed the total income of the slave trade. The entire company grosses around 1.8 billion ryo annually, and of that, nearly twenty percent is brought in from the slave trade. This creates a serious problem, since he isn't a fan of slavery. However, he couldn't afford to lose that much income, and the people of Wave were curious as to why their savior was still utilizing slavery.

After a boring session with the companies board, they came up with a solution. They would hire mercenaries for low wadges, and use them to protect the people of Wave from the rampant bandit problem. Beyond desperate to bring Wave back to her former glory, the daimyo agreed to fund them. Their profits still dipped, but not _nearly_ as much as it would have otherwise.

Naruto did all this under the alias of 'Gora,' an early twenties entrepreneur who has a powerful shinobi under his thumb. He couldn't run the company as an eleven year old ninja, that would lose him respect, and draw unnecessary attention to himself.

It's been nearly a week since then, and Naruto just finished up turning Ameyuri Ringo into his second human puppet, _'I'll give you a purpose Ringo-chan.'_

After sealing the puppet into a blue scroll, he turned to a group of shadow clones finishing up the repairs on Spectre, "One of you, come with me." After walking toward a space away from the other clones, he had his follower take of his clothes, before lying down.

He immediately unsealed an ink and brush, before slowly drawing seals over the clones body. Drawing seals on parchment wasn't a difficult task, due to the texture and the surface area being flat. Drawing on human flesh; however, was much more arduous. The surface area is round, and bumpy due to muscle and bone. The texture of the skin isn't particularly bad, but perspiration makes it difficult not to slide the brush during the process.

After nearly three painstaking hours, Naruto was complete. The clone had seals from his chest and arms down to his legs. Chakra storage seals so his clone wouldn't run out of chakra anytime soon, durability seals so his clone wouldn't disperse so easily and communication seals so his clone could send him updates on what was going on in Wave.

"You will run Wave while I'm in Uzu." No more needed to be said, they were the same mind after all.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap for chapter seven of Remembrance. I know this one is a bit short, but it needed to be for a more concise chapter. Some of you called that Naruto would be taking over Gato's company, which is really cool. It may have been a bit predictable, but I thought it was a necessary step for him. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and another one will be following within the next couple of weeks!**

 **Glossary**

 **Mizukage(Water Shadow): leader of Kirigakure no Sato.**

 **Jutsu**

 **Mizu bushin(Water clone): Similar to the kage bunshin jutsu, it creates a clone out of water. These clones retain one-tenth of the original user's power. C-Ranked**

 **Bakuhatsu Tenohira!(Explosion Release: Exploding Palm!): A kekkei genkai jutsu, which causes an outward eruption from one's palms. Upper B-Ranked  
**

 **Bakuton: Jiraiken(Explosion release: Landmine fist): A kekkei genkai ability that causes an explosion on contact with the user's fist. The explosion is outward, so little harm could come to the user. Upper B-Ranked**

 **Raiton: Bakurai!(Lightning release: Depth charge!): A raiton jutsu which utilizes the kiba blades. The user envelops their body with raiton chakra to expel outward to deal damage. B-Ranked**

 **Raiton: Raiga!(Lightning release: Lightning Fang!): Utilizing the kiba blades, the user sends out a bolt of lightning. B-Ranked**

 **Doton: Shinju Zanshu no jutsu!(Earth release: Double suicide decapitation technique!): The user digs underground using doton chakra, before pulling their opponent underground. D-Ranked**


	8. Battle on Graves Part: 1

**Chapter 8**

 **The Battle on Graves Part: 1**

Between the early morning dew, and the lack of any sound other then the movement of the water underneath his rickety row boat, the ruins of Uzushiogakure no Sato were eerie to say the least. Not that he minded.

The blonde lifted his kasa with his thumb, _'Here it is, Uzushiogakure. How many Uzumaki lost their lives here during the Second Great War?'_

His boat reached the ruins with a low _thud,_ before he stepped out, _'It's rather humorous that they called this place the 'village of longevity,' seeing how their long life spans meant nothing in the face of human fear.'_

Pushing his hat to hang off his back, he sat up against a broken stone pillar, before closing his eyes in content, _'It's so quiet, I might build something here with my vast wealth someday.'_

Uzushiogakure once held something so powerful, that two nations vied for it's destruction. And that thing was _knowledge_. The Uzumaki had seals that could effortlessly contain a tailed beast, so imagine what they could do to shinobi?

At the tail end of the war, Kumo and Kiri came at Uzu with everything they had, and left with almost a Pyrrhic victory. Their forces were in shambles, for they had considerably underestimated the strongest hidden village. Yes, Konoha was, and is still considered the strongest hidden village. However, that was just in name. Uzu never cared for fame, ergo they didn't care about being called the 'strongest.'

After the two destroyed Uzu, they took as much fuinjutsu knowledge as they could and split it between themselves. In response Konoha was outraged, but did not declare war on either of them. Instead, they fought Iwa.

Doesn't that just make sense?

The blonde was sure Konoha had a hand in Uzu's destruction. On the surface, their official reason for not helping the Uzumaki was simply ignorance.

He knew better.

The 'strongest' village didn't know that two major nations were going to attack their ally? And then they let the attackers off the hook when they were at their weakest? Something shady was definitely going on at that point in time, _'That was in the past, and the only thing the past is good for, is learning from the mistakes made.'_

"Hey you, kid! What are you doing here?"

The blonde's eyes shot open, _'I didn't hear a thing! I was complacent.'_ He slowly turned to the voice, and found a shinobi wearing a Kumogakure headband, "Hello shinobi-san! I'm here to join my colleagues at the dig site."

The dark-skinned shinobi adjusted his white jonin vest, "Dig site?" He turned slightly as another shinobi appeared in a show of speed next him, "Were you briefed about a dig site Soujiro?"

The other ninja was a teenager wearing a similar vest with blonde hair, "Uh, I don't think so senpai."

Naruto's mind raced a mile a minute, _'Briefed? These Kumo shinobi are very close to Konoha, so this can't be a routine mission. I must have stumbled onto an operation of some kind, damn.'_ He smiled, "Oh? I must be a bit too punctual. You see, I'm a part of a new archaeological team from Nami no Kuni, and we planned to set up a dig site here to study a bit about Uzushiogakure. I guess I came a bit too early though." He let out an uneasy laugh to play the part.

The jonin frowned, "I'm sorry kid, but we're going to have to search you just in case. We are looking for a criminal shinobi, and you could be him in disguise."

 _'Lie,'_ He thought as the Kumo shinobi known as 'Soujiro' came over to search him, _'The older shinobi is sharp, he must partially see through my act, or he is very cautious. I must be wary of him in particular.'_

When Soujiro was close enough to obscure Naruto from the dark skinned shinobi's view, he made a ram hand seal, _**'Magan: Jimen Nomi.(Demonic Illusion: Earth Swallowing Death.)'**_

In an instant the young Kumo shinobi's feet sunk into the ground. In surprise he tried to jump out, but was held firmly as he continued to slowly sink into the earth. He screamed for help, but found that both his comrade and the boy had disappeared, _'Genjutsu?'_ He thought, as he released it with a pulse of chakra.

Now out of the illusion, he found that his senpai was now locked in a fierce close-ranged battle against a helmeted swordsman. Trying to stand, he fell back onto his rear, _'That genjutsu hit me harder than I thought!'_

Behind Spectre, Naruto smirked, "That's one of you down, why don't you just give up?"

The jonin snarled, "I would _never_ give up to the likes of Suna, or should I call you Konoha's bitch?" He then grunted as Spectre kicked him away.

"Suna? Konoha? I guess you are not as intelligent as I gave you credit for. I'm not part of any shinobi village." His gaze grew stoic, "But I'll kill you anyways, because you would have captured me, before torturing non-existent information out of me."

The Namikaze then unfurled a white scroll with black kanji onto the ground. The Kumo jonin pulled his ninjato from its sheath, "Like hell I'll let you control the pace of this battle!" he roared, before charging his puppet.

In response Naruto used one hand to launch a hail of senbon from Spectre. The attack littered the jonin's body, before he turned into a piece of rubble, "Substitution..." The blonde muttered, as he caught sight of the shinobi behind himself, **"Kumo-Ryu: Damashigiri!(Cloud-Style: Deception Beheading!)"**

The blonde was engulfed in a large plume of smoke, as the Kumo ninja went for a chakra enhanced lateral sword strike. The blade stopped against the smoke with a resounding _clang,_ as a two and a half meter puppet stood holding the sword in one of its two massive hands. The behemoth had a similar head to that of Spectre, but with a much bigger body.

"Meet Warden, my second normal puppet. I spent a week in isolation to make sure he could stand up to jonin level attacks, and it seems I did a pretty food job." He then twitched his right index finger, causing his new puppet to send out a punch. With a grimace, the dark skinned ninja let go of his sword, before jumping out of the way of the blow that slammed into his previous position, causing a crater to form.

As the Kumo shinobi landed, he was blind-sided by Spectre's swords. Drawing two kunai, he deflected as much as he could, before shunshining out of the way just as a massive arm slammed into where he was.

Naruto's finger's danced, as panels on Warden's chest opened revealing four cylindrical objects, ' _I'll finish this quickly, no need to get anymore Kumo nin on my ass,'_ The blonde thought, as the objects whistled out with jets of flame and smoke propelling them. Accounting for the blast radius, he made sure they crashed into the ground far behind the dark skinned shinobi. The metallic cylinders detonated with deafening force, as Naruto body-flickered behind his behemoth of a puppet.

After forming a bird seal, Warden slammed its forearms together. Each arm had one half of a kanji for ' **shield,'** which glowed in activation, as a blue-chakra shell surrounded them both. A rush of pressurized air slammed into the puppet, skidding them backwards slightly.

 _'Damn, this f-feels like I'm in a typhoon!'_ He thought with his eyes closed from the buffeting winds.

As the explosion came to a stop, Naruto took in the aftermath with wide eyes. A large smoking crater stood where the two Kumo shinobi once were. The surrounding ruins collapsed from the shock wave, and the nearby water source was just washing back in to fill the depression, "Incredible..." The blonde was beyond shocked from the display. Sure, he tested the **Exploding Shells** as he called them at the small scale, but even with his calculations he didn't think the blast would be so powerful.

Hearing the sound of distant voices, he quickly sprung into action. Naruto quickly sealed his puppets, before using the **Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu(Earth Realease: Hiding like a Mole Technique)** to escape underground.

* * *

Jiraiya's eyes were peeled, as he scouted out Kumogakure's 'hidden' base in Uzu. Utilizing the **Toton jutsu(** **Transparency Escape Technique)** he was able to get close enough to make out the finer details.

The Kumo shinobi managed to set up a four-pronged base of operations, where the main base was at the center, with four smaller outposts surrounding it, "There are quite a bit of them, eh Minato?" He said feeling a sudden presence to his left.

Using the same stealth technique as his sensei, Jiraiya's prized student was the embodiment of calm, "About three hundred in the main base, and I counted four hundred between the four sub-bases sensei."

The Gama Sennin almost laughed, "And here I thought you would break your old record of a thousand, guess you must be disappointed kid."

The blonde grimaced, "That isn't even funny sensei, those are real people whose lives were about to end. I wish this could have been avoided; I wish this war could have been avoided..."

Jiraiya frowned, "It was just a joke kid, and you know as well as I do that those shinobi down there know exactly what they signed up for. We will be risking our lives, as much as any shinobi."

A flash of light in the distance, followed by the distinct _crack_ of an explosion cut off any response Minato had, "That can't be the signal, it's way too early."

The older shinobi cursed, "Think they were caught out? This could be a signal in desperation."

The Yodaime shook his head, "No, they were supposed to set up under water, this is from the other side of the island." He noticed a large group of Kumo shinobi form, before heading toward the source of the explosion, "This is as good a time as any though. The ship should be here within the hour, we should get started."

Getting a nod from his sensei, the two leaped high above the base, **"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!(Summoning** **Technique!)"** They yelled simultaneously, before the area erupted in a massive plume of smoke.

* * *

Noticing the massive forms of Gamabunta and Gamashiro, Kakashi Hatake's eyes narrowed, "They must have thought that explosion was the signal, damn." He turned to the rest of his squad, who were now surfacing with their specialized snorkels in hand.

"What is the plan senpai?" One Shisui Uchiha asked.

The silver haired shinobi shook his head, "We will wait for the supply ship, Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama can take care of themselves."

His squad nodded in accordance, but he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. He knew his sensei was undoubtedly one of the strongest in the Elemental Nations, but he couldn't help his gut feeling that something was going to go awry.

 _'Be careful Minato-sensei!'_

* * *

Deep underneath the ruins of Uzushiogakure, Naruto sat in a meditative stance. His doton manipulation allowed him to take some of the sturdier minerals, and form a protective shell around himself.

His eyes snapped open, as a shadow clone he sent to the surface dispelled, _'Father...'_

He stumbled upon Kumo's base of operations, and was in for quite a shock when his father appeared, before starting a raid on the base, ' _Of course he's here, I just can't get away from my past can I?'_

A sudden tremor-from the summons he presumed-caused his earthen structure to collapse, _'Shit'_ He thought, as he lost concentration on his technique. Looking down, he felt his feet give, before he fell though a fissure that formed.

On instinct he tried to grab onto one of the walls the fissure made. The rock; however, instantly broke off from his weight and velocity, before he plummeted through the pitch black area.

After what felt like minutes of falling, he noticed a light underneath him, before he slammed into a pool of water. Desperate, and out of his element, the Namikaze swam upward, and surfaced with a loud intake of air.

Panting, he took in his surroundings. Judging by the stalactites on the ceiling, he seemed to be in a large cave of some kind. The water was crystal clear, and he was able to see various species of colorful fish darting around him.

Looking behind himself, he saw a small piece of land covered in grass, with a single gnarled tree on one side. Climbing onto the water's surface he strode over to the tiny island, where he noticed an alter in the middle of it, with what appeared to be- _'A book?'_

Stepping onto the piece of land, he walked forward, _'Where is this light coming from?'_ Blue, purple, and green light seemed to come from the walls of the cave. They cascaded from one side to the other, creating a beautiful atmosphere.

Stopping in front of the marble alter, he took in the books features. It was more of a tome really, and was gray in color almost like an overcast sky. The Uzumaki's clan spiral was at the center of it, while a silky purple book mark rested off to the side.

Naruto took a look around himself, before placing his hands onto the tome, "You are not an Uzumaki."

Spinning around with Gari's scroll in hand, he came face to face with a tall, red-haired individual. His hair was long, and he seemed to be middle-aged. Two swords hung at his sides, as his flowing crimson haori nearly brushed the ground, "Who are you?"

Mentally kicking himself for such a puerile question, the man answered, "I'm a remnant of a time long forgotten." His voice held no emotion, but his eyes were alight with something Naruto couldn't figure out.

Something didn't feel right here, the man in front of him had no smell, he didn't even seem to breath. The cogs in his genius brain started to turn, "Wait a second here. Very few Uzumaki lived through the destruction of its village, and it's highly unlikely you are a survivor who decided to live a thousand meters underground. You don't look very old, so you couldn't have been more then a child if you _were_ to do such a thing..."

The Uzumaki stood motionless, as Naruto continued, "My guess is, you are a shadow clone of some kind who sealed themselves into this tome behind me. However, that's nonsensical. If you are deceased like I think you are, then your shadow clone would have dispersed as soon as it appeared. This must be some sort advanced fuinjutsu technique, which allows a residual part of your spirit to stay on this plane..."

The man actually smiled, "I'm impressed child, you are far more intelligent than you appear."

The blonde scowled at the remark, as the red-head sat down in a lotus position, "Join me."

After complying, the Uzumaki spoke, "You are a boy who has been through much hardship and pain; such is the life of a shinobi. The questions are: why are you here? And what is your purpose in this life?"

Feeling uncomfortable, Naruto gripped his hands together, "I'm not going to lie to somebody as perceptive as you, so I'll tell the truth. I came to the ruins of Uzu to find knowledge. Information on fuinjutsu, information on your past mistakes, anything and everything."

"And your purpose?"

The blonde sighed, before giving the man a determined look, "To become strong. So strong, that I'll never have to deal with loss again. I lost my innocence, I lost my leg, I lost my family because of the former reasons. I-I just want the cold darkness to seep away..."

The red-head closed his eyes, "My name is Shiro Uzumaki, and I was given the task of protecting this place by the Uzukage himself during the destruction of my village. This place holds the collective information of the Uzumaki clan. Everything from the warring clans period, up until its inevitable destruction. I honestly wanted an Uzumaki to stumble across this place, but I now realize that is too much to ask."

His hand shot out at unfathomable speeds, latching onto Naruto's head, "You will get _everything,_ like it or not. Our history, our fuinjutsu, our fears, our anger, our happiness. You _will_ be the successor of our clan!"

The blonde struggled under Shiro's grip, "I don't want any of that, that's not what I came for!"

The Uzumaki grimaced, "That's...too bad."

The blonde screamed in agony for several minutes, before his eyes went white, as he hit the ground unconscious. Shiro looked down at the boy with apathy, "You will be stronger kid, but now you carry the wills and hardships of the past...what will you do with all that weight?"

Looking down at his hands, he smiled, "Times up."

And with that, Shiro Uzumaki faded out of existence.

* * *

On the surface, Minato and Jiraiya were walking tentatively though Kumo's now decimated base. Bodies were strewn all over the area, and their blood pooled into the many crater's that littered the place.

Looking no worse for wear, Jiraiya spoke, "That technique of yours still leaves me in awe every time kid. How about you hand over its secrets?"

The Hokage sighed, "I gave you a starting point sensei, if you can't figure it out then it's just not for you."

The Gama Sennin pouted comically, "You're no fun Minato, can't you help a sensei in need! Why can't you have my back in this?" He then gave the Blonde a pointed look, which the Namikaze understood instantly.

 **"Jinton: Genkai Hakuri: Hashira!(Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World: Pillar!")** A large pillar of white transparent energy slammed into the two Konoha nin without prompt. As the attack dissipated, the ground where it struck was disintegrated leaving nothing, not even dust behind.

"Onoki, I'm surprised you actually came out of your village to fight me. It's a shame the creaking of your spine gave you away." Minato stood on top of a destroyed building with a surprised looking Jiraiya.

The old Tsuchikage floated down to hover just above the ground, "Whether I kill you by sneaking or not makes no difference. You _will_ die by my hand."

"Tsuchikage! Do _not_ forget about me!" A voice roared, before the building adjacent to Onoki collapsed with a clap of thunder. Walking out from the rubble and smoke was the Raikage himself, "I will fight Minato Namikaze! I'm interested to see if he is still faster than I am!"

Above the two kages, Jiraiya scowled, "And what am I? Chopped liver?"

"Sensei, you better get into **Sennin Modo(Sage Mode)** , because this is going to be a battle for the history books," Minato face was hardened with determination, as he pulled a tri-pronged kunai out from a storage seal on his arm.

The Gama Sennin's face grew serious, before he nodded, "I told Ma and Pa to be ready just in case, the summoning should only take a few minutes. Can you hold them off?

The blonde smirked, "I think I can pull a few tricks from my sleeve, but make it quick. If I didn't have the hiraishin, this wouldn't even be possible."

Jiraiya jumped back behind the ruined building, as Minato prepared himself for what was probably going to be the toughest battle of his life. Below the blonde, the two bickering Kage seemed to have come to an agreement after his sensei left.

Onoki was smirking, and Ae was-' _Where is Ae?'_ The crack of thunder was the only warning the Hokage had, as the Raikage appeared above him with a kick poised, **"Guillotine Drop!"**

With zero time to physically escape, the blonde tossed his kunai away with a flick of his wrist, before disappearing in a flash of yellow. The building he was standing on was completely demolished as Ae's **Lightning Release: Chakra Mode** enhanced kick slammed into the structure.

Now in mid air, Minato caught his kunai, before charging chakra into his left hand. **"Rasengan!(Spiraling Sphere!")** He yelled, as he plunged the attack into a earthen dragon that flew up to meet him.

The techniques clashed, as the blonde started to grind his way through the length of the dragon, obscuring him from view. With a grin, the Tsuchikage formed a ram seal, **"Earth Release: Writhing Dragon!"** After a moment, bulges formed on the outside of the doton jutsu, before it violently exploded, sending rock and mud across the battle field.

 **"Futon: Atsugai!(Wind Release: Pressure Damage!")** Onoki heard, as an immense vortex of air roared toward him. Without hesitation, the old man crated a sealess clone, before they both went through hands seals, **"Doton: Doryuheki!(Earth Release: Earth Wall!")** A large wall of earth rose in front of him before, **"** **Doton: Kajugan no Jutsu!(Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique!")**

The now enhanced wall stood strong, as the dense winds slammed into it. His clone submerged itself underground, before the Tsuchikage placed his hands against his structure, **"Earth Release: Wall of Omens!"**

* * *

Across the battlefield, the Yodaime Hokage watched as his futon jutsu slammed into Onoki's earth wall. Suddenly ducking, the blonde barely managed to keep his head, as the Raikage's punch sailed over him.

 **"Earth Release: Wall of Omens!"**

Eyes widening, Minato looked over to the earthen wall. Large spikes formed on its surface, before they launched at the Hokage at blinding speeds. Forming a hand seal to hiraishin away, he was shocked when a gnarled hand latched onto his, "Hello boy! I took care of the markers from that blasted technique!" Onoki's clone yelled.

The blonde grunted, as the earthen spikes grew closer, **"Choodama Rasengan!(Ultra-Big ball Spiraling Sphere!")** A voice roared, as the attack ground the earth spears into dust. In reaction, Minato spun around with a rasengan of his own, before plunging it into the clones abdomen. The clone snarled, as it dispersed.

"Am I late kid?" Jiraiya asked now in sage mode, with both Ma and Pa on his shoulders. His nose was now more bulbous, and his eyes were the signature 'bar' shape.

"You kept Minato-chan waiting? How dare you Jiraiya!" Ma yelled, before whacking the poor sennin on head.

Pa shook his head, "This isn't the time Ma. There are two shinobi here who actually threaten them; Jiraiya-chan said they're Kages!"

Minato sighed in relief, "Just in time sensei."

* * *

 **And chapter eight ends! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Each character has their own personalities, which are fun to screw around with. Also, having a Kage battle royale really gets my blood pumping! I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Glossary**

 **Exploding Shells: Cylindrical pieces of metal, which contain copious amounts of explosive seals inside. The shells are propelled via fuel ignition.**

 **Sennin Modo(Sage Mode): The act of gathering nature chakra, to enhance one's attributes.**

 **Jutsu**

 **Magan: Jimen Nomi.(Demonic Illusion: Earth Swallowing Death.): A genjutsu, which is related to the Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death. It causes you to believe you are being sucked into the earth. Lower B-Ranked**

 **Kumo-Ryu: Damashigiri(Cloud-Style: Deception Beheading): A kenjutsu technique, which uses the surprise of the substitution jutsu to get the drop on your opponent with a lateral sword strike. B-Ranked**

 **Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu(Earth Realease: Hiding like a Mole Technique): A doton jutsu, which ables the user to travel underground with ease. C-Ranked**

 **Toton jutsu(** **Transparency Escape Technique): A technique created by Jiraiya of the sannin, which allows the user to go nearly invisible to the naked eye. B-Ranked**

 **Jinton: Genkai Hakuri: Hashira!(Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World: Pillar!: A kekkei Tota, which allows Onoki to create a confined geometric object to blast foes with. Lower S-Ranked**

 **Guillotine Drop: While in his chakra mode, the Raikage executes a powerful drop kick. Lower B-ranked**

 **Rasengan!(Spiraling Sphere): A technique created by Minato himself, which takes shape manipulation to its limit. Lower A-Ranked**

 **Earth Release: Writhing Dragon: The user creates an earth dragon, before launching it at their opponent(s). If the attack is stopped, or blocked, the user can detonate exploding tags within its body. Upper B-Ranked**

 **Futon: Atsugai!(Wind Release: Pressure Damage): The user creates a massive vortex of dense wind, which has a massive area of effect. B-Ranked**

 **Doton: Doryuheki!(Earth Release: Earth Wall): The user creates a wall of earth to block attacks. The size of the wall is based on the amount of chakra used. Lower B-Ranked**

 **Doton: Kajugan no Jutsu!(Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique: A technique created by Onoki, which increases the weight of an object. B-Ranked**

 **Earth Release: Wall of Omens: After creating an earth wall, the user manipulates it to launch spears of rock off the wall. This gives the user a powerful defense, as well as offense. Lower B-Ranked**

 **Choodama Rasengan(Ultra-Big ball Spiraling Sphere): A variation of the rasengan, which utilizes natural chakra to increase it's size and power. Upper A-Ranked**

 **Stats**

 **Naruto Namikaze**

 **Ninjutsu: 4.5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 3/6**

 **Genjutsu: 3/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5/6**

 **Strength: 2/6**

 **Speed: 3.5/6**

 **Stamina: 3/6**

 **Hand Seals: 4/6**

 **Total: 32.5**

 **XXX**

 **Kumo Jonin**

 **Ninjutsu: 4/6**

 **Taijutsu: 4/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 3.5/6**

 **Strength: 3.5/6**

 **Speed: 4/6**

 **Stamina: 3.5/6**

 **Hand Seals: 3/6**

 **Total: 32.5**

 **XXX**

 **Minato Namikaze**

 **Ninjutsu: 5.5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 4.5/6**

 **Genjutsu: 4/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5.5/6**

 **Strength: 3.5/6**

 **Speed: 5.5/6**

 **Stamina: 4.5/6**

 **Hand Seals: 5/6**

 **Total: 43**

 **XXX**

 **Jiraiya**

 **Ninjutsu: 5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 5/6**

 **Genjutsu: 3/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 4.5/6**

 **Strength: 4.5/6 (6/6 with SM)**

 **Speed: 4.5/6 (5.5/6 with SM)**

 **Stamina: 5/6**

 **Hand Seals: 4.5/6**

 **Total: 40.5 (43)**

 **XXX**

 **Onoki**

 **Ninjutsu: 6/6**

 **Taijutsu: 4/6**

 **Genjutsu: 3.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5.5/6**

 **Strength: 3.5/6**

 **Speed: 4.5/6**

 **Stamina: 5/6 (Fought forever during the fourth shinobi war, and he's younger here.)**

 **Hand Seals: 5/6**

 **Total: 41.5**

 **XXX**

 **Ae**

 **Ninjutsu: 5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 6/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 3.5/6**

 **Strength: 6/6**

 **Speed: 6/6**

 **Stamina: 6/6**

 **Hand Seals: 3.5/6**

 **Total: 43**


	9. Battle on Graves Part: 2

**Chapter 9**

 **The Battle on Graves Part: 2**

Seventeen year old Reika Mibe stood in front of the marble double doors with a bored expression, _'I really hope leader actually gives me something to do after recalling me from the other side of the continent. The land of hot water is soothing after months of senseless slaughter.'_

She placed her hand onto the center of the doors for a moment, before retracting the appendage. With a scowl, she tapped the hilt of the chokuto harnessed on her lower back in impatience, as the doors slowly opened by sliding into the walls.

Adjusting her scratched out Kumo headband, she strode into the room without hesitation.

Upon entering her eyebrows rose, as she noticed five figures situated around a hexagon-shaped table, "Genji-sama, I wasn't told that you were recalling everyone~." Reika said with a sing-song voice while taking the only empty seat available.

"You weren't told because you make a big deal out of everything. I swear, you blondes are quite the pain..." A dark skinned male sporting a slashed Suna headband said with a drawl. The man was sitting with his head supported by his palm, while he tapped on a large oval shield that was propped up against the table.

Smiling; Reika's onyx and blue mismatched eyes sparkled, "Aww, I didn't know you felt that way about me Shin. Why don't we catch up after this little meeting, so I can show you how much of a pain I can _really_ be."

A light clap of hands instantly silenced the two, as the attention of the room shifted to their red-haired leader, "That will be enough Reika, and you too Shin..."

The two bowed their heads slightly, "I'll get straight to the point," His glowing red eyes swept across the table, "It's almost time for our organization to make its move. Both sides of the war are weakening by the day, and this current fiasco with my former home has me...agitated."

The collective expression's of the room grew wary as potent killing intent leaked out from their leader.

Genji's eyes drifted to the three elderly individuals across from him, "Why don't you let us in on what ails you...Danzo."

The mentioned Konoha native man looked as stoic as a statue to most, _'Damn empath'_ "I apologize if I'm speaking out of line, but shouldn't we wait until the war is nearing its end?"

Genji's gaze hardened, "Elaborate."

"I understand that you have an emotional attachment to Uzushio, but waiting until the five villages are at their weakest would be the most prudent course of action. That time would be at the war's climax."

The now revealed Uzumaki smiled, "Ah Danzo, you are very wise. That is why I keep you and your lackeys around. Not because of your strength, but because of your wisdom."

Danzo nearly gritted his teeth, as Reika barely contained her laughter behind her hand.

Genji sighed, "It also seems that this remnant of Madara is getting quite the group together though; we will have to deal with him soon enough. For now, Reika, I want you to keep an eye on Orochimaru."

The mentioned girl sighed in exasperation, "Why do I have to spy on that snake-freak? Have Shin do it, I'm pretty sure he's into pale pedophiles."

The Suna native scoffed, while the Uzumaki of the room blinked, "Reika, you know as well as I do that you are a master of stealth and espionage; just do it. Shin, I want you to eliminate any potential future members of this Akatsuki. Look for S-ranked shinobi only."

The shield wielder lazily waved his arm in acceptance as the red-head turned to Danzo, "Danzo, continue manipulating Konoha from the shadows. The current unrest with the Uchiha should be the key to Konoha's downfall. Do a good enough job, and your position as Hokage might come sooner."

The faux cripple gave a stiff nod, before Genji turned to the last two members of their group, "Homura and Koharu, for now follow Danzo's lead. The time will come for your...particular strengths to be necessary.

Under her pointed salakot hat, Koharu gave a near toothless smile, while her husband Homura nodded with a scowl.

Genji Uzumaki narrowed his eyes in thought, ' _The shinobi world will pay for its sins Izuna sensei. They will know the power of **T** **he** **Animus**!'_

* * *

Jiraiya was not _at all_ happy with his current predicament. Sage mode allowed his strength, speed, stamina and senses to raise well beyond what almost any ninja could accomplish with training. However, the Raikage was one of those scarce shinobi that sage mode couldn't straight up overpower.

 **"Elbow!"** Bracing himself, the toad sage was suddenly bull rushed by the hypersonic Kage, sending Jiraiya rocketing through several ruined buildings, before he righted himself with a grunt.

Hearing the buzz of static, the sage and his summons on his shoulder's looked up, " **Guillotine Drop!"**

Raising his arms in a cross-block, the Raikage's falling axe kick slammed into Jiraiya with the force of a small meteorite. In an instant, all the ground and rubble within a hundred meter radius was pulverized by the immense force, as lightning discharged across the battlefield.

 _'My arms feel like jelly, but this is the perfect time for a counter attack!'_ Grabbing Ae's leg with his sage strength, he concentrated an alarming amount of chakra into his off-hand, **"Katon: Rasengan!(Fire Release: Spiraling Sphere!)"**

With a roar of effort, Jiraiya slammed the blazing sphere into the Raikage's abdomen. The super heated jutsu carved through Ae's lightning armor like butter, before grinding and searing his flesh.

The Kage's groan of pain was drowned out as he was sent sailing hundreds of meters, before the rasengan detonated.

* * *

Kilometers away, the colossal inferno that was Jiraiya's jutsu felt like a hot summer day Minato noted, as he stared down the Tsuchikage, "Tell me Onoki, was power the real reason you pushed for this war?"

Floating across from the blonde, the old man snarled, "Power? Power you say? I guess you aren't as much of a genius as I thought boy! You and your...your village murdered my grand daughter, and for that I won't rest. I won't rest until I've raised your retched village to the ground, and you with it!"

Minato's face twisted with bewilderment, "Murdered your grand daughter? Don't be ridiculous Onoki, I gave no such order. And even if I did, what does Konoha gain from it?"

Onoki scowled, "I've gone over the evidence personally countless times _boy,_ I already ruled out any framing."

The blonde grimaced, _'It all makes sense now. How Iwa could come back renewed with vigor after the third war. A beloved member of their village was supposedly killed off by Konoha...on my order.'_

The Hokage stood straighter, "Onoki, I really never gave such an order. But, I know that any form of talking is meaningless now. You believe we killed a member of your family, and I _know_ we didn't. And while I honestly understand what it's like to lose family..." An image of Naruto flashed in his mind, "I will do everything in my power to protect my village!"

Jiraiya slammed down next to Minato creating spiderweb cracks underneath. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his clothing was torn as well as burnt, "Ae won't be down for long, let's use this opportunity to finish Onoki!" The declaration was followed by ragged panting from the sage.

The Tsuchikage mumbled, "Useless brute," While Minato nodded.

The two Konoha native shinobi blurred through hand seals, **"Futon: Daitoppa!(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!) Katon: Karyu Endan!(Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bullet!)**

The supercharged jutsus merged to create a goliath inferno, which bulldozed toward the old Kage.

In response, Onoki raised his arms with a snarl. A small translucent cube formed in between his hands, before it rapidly grew in size to overtake the collaborative jutsu, **"Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!(Dust Release: Detatchment of the Primitive World!)**

In an instant the cube radiated blinding light, before the inferno dissipated like water in a frying pan.

A flash of yellow light was the only warning Onoki had as the Hokage appeared behind him with a familiar sphere of chakra poised, **"Rasengan!"**

With less than a millisecond to react, an earth clone shot out of the ground between them, before the Hokage's technique slammed into it.

With the clone preoccupying Minato, the original shot up into the sky to gain some distance, **"Doton: Golem no Jutsu!"** With a grunt, copious amounts of mud and rock was spewed from his mouth, before it rapidly coalesced into a ten meter humanoid statue of rock.

Below Onoki, Minato flew through hand seals, **"Raiton: Gian!(Lightning Release: False Darkness!)"**

In response, the old Kage placed his hands onto his golem, **"** **Doton: Chokajugan no Jutsu!(Earth Release: Super added-Weight Rock Technique!")**

A beam of electricity roared from the blondes's mouth, before slamming into the golem with a flash of light. Rock and smoke judded out from the blasting zone, but as it cleared only a moderate dent was formed on the still falling jutsu, _'Onoki, you are better than I am, I'll give you that,'_ He formed a half ram seal, _'However...'_

The grinning Tsuchikage suddenly dodged a long fleshy tongue from Shima, as Jiraiya appeared atop his golem in a burst of speed, **"Senpo: Kebari Senbon!(Sage art: Hair Needle Senbon!)"**

A hail of white needles sprung from the sage's mane, as Onoki raised his hands, _'Too fast to dodge,'_ **"Jinton: Genkai Hakuri: Hashira!(Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World: Pillar!")**

The kekkei tota jutsu turned every senbon to dust, before continuing toward the now dodging sage.

 **"Rasengan!"**

Appearing behind the Tsuchikage, Minato's icy blue eyes was all he saw, before the jutsu crashed into his back.

Spitting up blood, Onoki was sent rocketing toward Jiraiya, **"Senpo: Goemon!(Five Right Defense Gate!)"** The sage and his summons yelled, before Jiraiya, Shima and Fukasaku shot out oil, fire and wind simultaneously. A flaming oil tsunami was the result that awaited Onoki's tiny frame.

Just before he was hit by the jutsu however, a streak of lightning shot up to grab the old Kage, before ripping him out of the way of the wave with a growl.

Minato and Jiraiya both landed on the now nearly submerged golem. Across from them on a ruined structure, a battered Onoki was kneeling below Ae, whose abdomen was covered in third degree burns.

The blonde went to speak, but nearly doubled over if it were not for Jiraiya's quick reflexes, "What?"

The sage next to him grunted, "Your reserves have always been large, but you haven't fought in a major conflict in years..."

Minato was filled with disbelief, _'I've gotten rusty?"_

The Hokage wasn't the only one feeling the weight of his rust, "Hokage! How did you use the hiraishin on me if I wasn't marked?" The Tsuchikage barely got out the question before he started panting.

The blonde blinked, "You and your shinobi sure believe you know a lot about my abilities," Onoki nearly snarled as he continued, "I did mark you Onoki."

"Lie! You haven't so much as touched me since the beginning of this battle!" The Tsuchikage was relatively calm on the outside, but was raging from within.

Minato sighed, "I didn't mark your body...but I did mark your chakra Onoki. This is my **"Hiraishin-San no Dan(Flying Thunder God-Level Three,)** which I've developed, as well as mastered recently in my life."

Onoki's was left speechless by the implications, _'How do you escape him?"_ As Ae stepped forward angrily, "Hokage! Jiraiya! Enough talk, let us finish this!"

The four kage level shinobi readied themselves for the final clash.

 _'My village is counting on me. Kushina...I will make it back!'_

 _'I hope I can make it through this. I want to see you once more, Tsunade!'_

 _'Kurotsuchi...you will be avenged. I'll tear you apart Minato!'_

 _'Bee! I hope you can see this! I'll show the world the strength of Kumo!'_

* * *

The galleon known as the _**Lightning Runner**_ carried two weeks worth of supplies for over seven hundred shinobi. The ship itself can carry up to two thousand metric tons of cargo, making it quite the sizable vehicle.

On the galleon, civilian sailors protected by a small group of shinobi worked hard to get the ship ready for the docking process. This was what made the operation quite simple in Kakashi Hatake's eyes. The probability of failing the mission was low, because his elite team of shinobi far outstripped a hand full of unsuspecting Kumo jonin and chunin.

Underwater, the silver haired squad leader gave a hand signal, before they swam for the ship.

* * *

Aboard the _Lightning Runner,_ the sailors were hustling to get the ship ready to dock at Uzushio. The Kumo shinobi had seen the explosions at the island, and had the sailors pushed to get to Uzu as fast as possible.

A brown haired shinobi looked particularly nervous, as he he winced from the most recent explosion of flame from the ruins of Uzushio.

 **"Raikiri!(Lightning Cutter!)"**

A sickening _squelch_ was heard, as the kumo shinobi looked down to see a lightning covered hand sticking out of his chest.

following their captain's lead, Shisui and the rest of the squad landed on the ship poised for their surprise attack as well.

 _Poof_

Every Kumo shinobi, as well as sailor _poofed_ out of existence in a show of white smoke. Kakashi's mismatched eyes widened, before he looked forward to see the man he impaled disperse in a cloud of smoke as well.

"Aha! You leaf monkeys have been duped, and now I'll make you into a fine soup~! Oh yeah~!"

The Konoha shinobi looked over to find a large dark skinned shinobi standing atop the captain's deck. Shisui's red eyes narrowed, "I recognize this shinobi, he is the Raikage's brother, Killer Bee-"

"Shut up you fool! Only I can introduce myself you tool!" Bee then crossed his arms, as his white scarf billowed behind him, "I float like a butterfly~and sting like a bee~I'm the eight-tails Killer Bee~! Oh yeah~!"

Kakashi felt a wave of dread overcome him, _'He is a perfect jinchuriki, and sensei even said he's almost on par with the Raikage himself!'_ Not taking his eyes of his opponent, he closed his non sharingan eye, "Shisui, Tenzo, you will be the crux of our victory here. You need to stop him if he uses his biju. Everyone else, try and stay out of melee range, and feel him out."

The jinchuriki smirked, "Smart move Kakashi Hatake, but can you survive in the fray~?"

Red chakra suddenly bubbled up from Bee's skin, before forming a cloak with a tail behind him, "Whee~!" He yelled, as he raised his right arm with his pinky and pointer finder's extended.

* * *

 _"You will get everything, like it or not. Our history, our fuinjutsu, our fears, our anger, our happiness. You will be the successor of our clan!"_

 _He struggled under Shiro's grip, "I don't want any of that; that's not what I came for!"_

 _The Uzumaki grimaced, "That's...too bad."_

Naruto awoke with a generous intake of breath, before he started coughing violently. Rolling onto all fours he gagged and retched until blood spilled from his mouth, _'What did you do to me Uzumaki?'_

His episode seemingly over, he shakily stood, _'Where did he go?'_ Looking around, he found that he was alone yet again. Turning, he saw that the decorated tome, as well as the alter was gone, _'What in the world-'_

"Argh!" He yelled, as he held his head from the sudden pain. His ears were hot, as his mind and body was racked by the most unbearable pain imaginable. He couldn't think, couldn't see, couldn't hear. There was only pain...

* * *

 _"Mommy, can we go play on the swings?" A little girl with red hair asked timidly._

 _Her mother, whose hair mirrored her own, smiled down at her, "Of course honey, I'll even push you!"_

 _The child cheered with glee, before running ahead of her parent toward the nearby swing set..._

* * *

 _"Saiaka-chan, I didn't want it to end like this..." A young red-haired man spoke. He sported a village headband with a spiral carved on the metal plate._

 _The woman grasped her own arm tightly, while she bit her lip, "Shinta-kun...I can't keep doing this. You always go on such dangerous missions, and it has me worried sick every day you are gone."_

 _The young man's eyes widened._

 _"I think we should break up Shinta..."_

* * *

 _An older male sat in front of a scroll adopting a thinking pose, "If I reroute the chakra flow to the residual seal after the first seal layer is complete, then the second should work instantly!"_

 _He smirked with pride, "A retroactive seal! I'm a genius!"_

* * *

 _A man in white robes sat in front of a desk with a look of concentration. The copious amount of papers and files on his desk were neatly organized, while he looked over a particular document, "Kenji-san, I've looked over your files...and I'm impressed!"_

 _A young man kneeling in front of the desk fought to hide his smile._

 _"However..."_

 _The smile dropped._

 _"Hmm, where is my tea?" The older man looked around._

 _"Uzukage-sama! Please, I have to know if I passed! All my life I've fought for my country, for my family. I want to take the next step to do more for my village!"_

 _The now revealed Kage smiled, "You have spunk kid," He stood, " It is with tremendous pride that I promote you, Kenji Yamata, to the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin. Do our village proud!"_

* * *

 _A woman was kneeling over a burnt, and smoking body, "Jinei-kun...I loved you so much. Why did you have to protect me like that?"_

 _Not even the explosions, or the yells of battle drowned out her cries of sorrow._

* * *

 _"How many are there taicho?" A battered shinobi asked._

 _Surrounded by his fellow squad, the leader opened his eyes, "Fifty at least."_

 _The shinobi's veins went cold, while the squad leader's face was grim, "I'm going to say this now...we are all going to die today."_

 _Total silence._

 _"However, we are not dying in vain. We will not die for nothing. We will build a wall between them and our loved one's, and our corpses will supply the mortar."_

 _The Uzu ninja looked solemn._

 _"Will you fall for nothing? Or will you die for something?"_

* * *

 _Standing across from the Uzukage, the Third Raikage spoke, "You are the most powerful opponent I've ever fought. You killed the Sandaime Mizukage, and pushed me to my limits. It is regrettable that someone like you should fall."_

 _The Uzukage chuckled, "I may fall, my village my fall, however...the will of the Uzumaki will never fall to wanton acts of tyranny!"_

* * *

He didn't even realize he had been screaming until his voice gave out. The influx of memories was like hundreds of senbon stabbing him in the head. There were _thousands_ of memories, ideologies, perspectives, ripping though him at a pace that he couldn't even comprehend.

* * *

 _As the Uzukage fell to the ground, his blood filled visage managed a smile, 'I will always love my village, my people...my family. To the person who receives are burden...I thank you from the bottom of my soul."_

 _His vision went black._

 _'Do with it what you will, but please...don't let our will die out...'_

* * *

Naruto lurched forward breathing heavily. The pain was gone, but the memories remained. He couldn't see them, but he could feel them like a blanket around him on a cold night, _'All those people dead, for what? For power?'_

Tears streaked down his face, _'All I've ever wanted was power. Power, so I could never hurt again...so I could never feel again. Am I wrong? What is right?'_

 _'All those people...they had dreams and aspirations just like me.'  
_

A fierce anger overcame him, bubbling from within his gut. His eyes burned, and his chakra flared violently, "They dare fight on the graves of my people?" He didn't even realize what was coming out of his mouth, "I'll show them...I'll show them all!"

He flew through fifty hand seals, before placing his palms onto the ground, _'This place was originally built as a fail safe for the possible invasion of Uzu. The Uzukage decided to use it instead as an instrument to perpetuate the clan's will. However...'_

The underground cavern he was in started to violently shake, as the stalactites on the ceiling started to break off before plunging into the surrounding water.

A glowing seal bloomed underneath him; spinning wildly as it did so. It radiated an intense light, sending what looked like countless purple fireflies into the air.

Naruto slowly stood, before he vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

Kakashi Hatake's sharingan eye twitched, as he let out ragged breaths. Next to him, Shisui and Tenzo were struggling just to stay above the water.

"I'm impressed by your tenacity, but your skills are like your mental capacity~! Aw yeah~!"

A slightly banged up Killer Bee stood across from them with a triumphant smile.

A sudden wave of water, caused them to look downward. The water started to ripple violently, causing oscillating waves to move them up and down.

What sounded like incredibly loud trumpets sounded from what seemed like every direction, before the island that held Uzushio started to glow a radiant purple.

"Senpai, that build up of chakra..." Shisui's voice was shaky, as he managed to stand with Tenzo.

Kakashi's eyes were wide as saucers, "I don't know what's going on, but need to leave, now!" He shouted, before they started to book it away from the island.

A conflicted Bee looked between the running ninja and Uzu, before following Konoha's lead.

And in a flash of the brightest light the elemental nations has ever seen, Uzushio erupted.

* * *

Standing miles away from Uzu, Naruto watched on with a heavy heart, _'The ruins of Uzu should have been left untouched...but I had no choice. Today, Uzu will no longer exist, but the will of the Uzumaki survives within me.'_

He turned away as the light speed flash from the explosion shadowed him, before the deafening _crack_ of the blast reached his ears.

 _'The question is...what will I do with all of it?'_

* * *

 **And...END! Man this chapter was difficult to write. I had a lot of trouble figuring out the best way to phrase everything, but I managed it. I'm sorry for the wait, but I hope it is to your liking!**

 **Now, I know some of you want the story to focus more on Naruto, which it will. This story is about Naruto, and how he will find his place in the world. Sometimes I will focus on other characters, but for the most part that will be a rarity. Will Naruto be able to fully assimilate everything he has received? Did the Kage's survive? All will be revealed later on.**

 **Also, this chapter I revealed several OCs that will have a big impact on the story. I've been throwing around this idea for about a year now, and am ready to implement it. For those of you who dislike OCs, I'm sorry. However, I hope you will stick around and see if I can make them to your liking.**

 **Glossary**

 **The Animus: A group of at least six S ranked shinobi that has a specific goal.**

 **Lightning Runner: A massive galleon that was inspired by real life sixteenth century ships.**

 **Jutsu**

 **Katon: Rasengan(Fire Release: Spiraling Sphere): In canon, Jiraiya never completed the Rasengan. However, with Minato surviving Kurama's attack, they were able to make a breakthrough. The technique uses fire nature chakra to surround the sphere, creating a super heated grinder. Because of the nature of the rasengan, it spirals in multiple directions at intense speeds. Combining it with fire causes a chain reaction, which creates an incredible explosion. S-ranked**

 **Futon: Daitoppa(Wind Release: Great Breakthrough): The user creates an incredible squall to blow away their opponent. If used by a superior shinobi, it can uproot trees. C-ranked**

 **Katon: Karyu Endan(Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bullet): The user creates a powerful dragon of flame, which incinerates its target(s). Upper-B ranked**

 **Raiton: Gian(Lightning Release: False Darkness): The user condenses lighting chakra, before shooting a beam of electricity at their opponent. It has incredible piercing potential. B ranked**

 **Senpo: Kebari Senbon(Sage art: Hair Needle Senbon): Jiraiya kneads chakra before firing hardened hair needles. At the same time, Shima and Fukasaku accelerates the growth of his hair, creating a near limitless barrage of needles. This attack is Jiraiya's quickest. B ranked**

 **Senpo: Goemon(Five Right Defense Gate): A collaberation attack, where Jiraiya, Shima and Fukasaku spew oil, fire and wind respectively. The result is an incredible wave of flaming oil, which is almost impossible to avoid. A ranked**

 **Hiraishin-San no Dan(Flying Thunder God-Level Three): Because of his survival during the the Kyubi attack, Minato had plenty of time to expand and perfect his signature hiraishin jutsu. The first level is simply teleporting to a marked location. The second is Minato using his marked kunai to teleport, and attack from his opponent's blind side. The third level is marking the target's chakra signature, before teleporting to their blind spot. This attack is most effective when the opponent believes they need to be physically marked. S ranked**

 **Raikiri(Lightning Cutter): An original jutsu created by Kakashi Hatake. It takes shape manipulation, as well as chakra manipulation to the highest level. By wreathing his hand in condensed lightning, Kakashi can impale his victims for a sure kill. Lower-S ranked**

 **Stats**

 **Kakashi Hatake**

 **Ninjutsu: 5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 4/6**

 **Genjutsu: 4/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5/6**

 **Strength: 3.5/6**

 **Speed: 4/6**

 **Stamina: 3/6**

 **Hand Seals: 5/6**

 **Total: 38**

 **Shisui Uchiha**

 **Ninjutsu: 4.5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 4/6**

 **Genjutsu: 4.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 5/6**

 **Intelligence: 4.5/6**

 **Strength: 3/6**

 **Speed: 5/6**

 **Stamina: 3/6**

 **Hand Seals: 4.5/6**

 **Total: 38**

 **Killer Bee**

 **Ninjutsu: 4.5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 5.5/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 6/6**

 **Intelligence: 3.5/6**

 **Strength: 5/6(6/6 with Hachibi)**

 **Speed: 4.5/6 (6/6 with Hachibi)**

 **Stamina: 6/6**

 **Hand Seals: 3.5/6**

 **Total: 40.5(43)**


	10. Ghost of the Mist

**Chapter 10**

 **Ghost of the Mist**

The _crunching_ of Naruto's footsteps was all that was heard on the snowy trail in **Mizu no Kuni(Land of Water.)** After leaving Uzushio, he had to do quite a bit of soul searching. And after many restless nights of foreign memories and contemplation, he had an epiphany...

* * *

 _Shivering in his mansion in Wave Country, Naruto couldn't sleep, 'When will it end?' He turned over in his bed, ' I never asked for this. I never asked to be the bearer of this curse.'_

 _He sat up with a snarl, 'I can't even sift through everything efficiently to find the most prudent information...'_

 _His eyes widened in realization, before he jumped out of his bed with a maniacal smile, 'How could I have missed such a simple solution? I'm such a fool for overlooking the obvious! There are a few theoretical problems involved, but this method will surely work!'_

 _Putting his fingers into the iconic cross-shaped position, he muttered, " **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Shadow Clone Technique.)** "_

 _Five clones appeared instantly around him in a plume of smoke, 'I can only use five clones efficiently for this method, but this way I can sift through the information at five times the speed. I'll create another every five minutes and dispel it so we can avoid information another clone has already started to consume.'_

* * *

It wasn't as easy as that though. A glaring issue sprung up during his months of recollection and training. The memories were like a river of water, and the fuinjutsu knowledge he desired was like pebbles lying underneath. He couldn't just bypass the water itself, he needed to wade and swim through it to get to what he wanted. This meant that he needed to view each memory in his way, which was an arduous task by itself.

Thousands of people were massacred in Uzu during the war, and all their experiences were now packed tightly within his brain. He knew that Shiro made the memories like a ship with a hole in it for a reason. If all the information had hit him all at once, he would have turned into a vegetable.

And while he managed to find plenty of techniques-fuinjutsu and otherwise-he found that the experiences the Uzumaki went through during their everyday lives were far more valuable. And it was during these times of viewing others life experiences that he came to a decision on his twelfth birthday.

He would use these memories for his own means. The Uzukage told him to use the information in anyway Naruto wanted, he just didn't want 'the will of the Uzumaki to die out.' And while he originally didn't care about the clan, he had to face the fact that the experiences of thousands changed him on a fundamental level. He was still Naruto Namikaze, but he had begun a metamorphosis.

Before, he loathed humanity. He would rather stab himself then help someone out of the goodness of his heart. However, he couldn't help but see the good side of people now. He never really thought about it because he never cared about his past emotionally, but his jaded outlook was due to his awful upbringing. Death...sacrifice...neglect...fear. All these things shaped him to become just like his puppets: hollow.

However, even if he was hollow he had dreams and aspirations just like any other human being. He has always strived for power, but what good was power without an outlet? The truth was, he now wanted control. Control of others so to keep them from becoming what Kiri and Kumo became during Uzu's destruction. And if such actions label him as a nefarious tyrant? Then so be it.

To do this however, he need allies. Even if he became the strongest being in the Elemental Nations he couldn't be everywhere at once. A limitation he sorely disliked to be sure, but a limitation none the less.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a soft crunch of snow other than his own in the nearby treeline, "You have been following me for the last three hours, why don't you come out and show yourself."

After several moments a young, pale white haired boy came out from behind one of the many trees. He had two scarlet dots on his forehead, and carried an apathetic gaze, "How did you know I was here?" His voice was soft spoken.

The blonde nearly snorted, "To any shinobi worth their salt, elephant's feet like yours could be heard a kilometer away."

The boy looked at his feet in confusion, as Naruto tightened his kasa's straps, "What do you want kid?"

"Are you a Kiri shinobi?" He asked in response.

The blonde's red eyes narrowed as a memory surfaced, "I'm not, but more importantly you are part of the Kaguya clan correct?"

The child looked away, "Yes, I was..."

"Was?"

He nodded, "My clan was killed, and the bodies burned when they foolishly attacked Kiri. I'm the sole survivor."

Naruto shook some of the snow that accumulated on his hat off, "I see. That is quite the unfortunate outcome. What will you do now?"

The boy knelt down, before he started drawing in the snow with his finger, "I don't know. All I was ever good for was fighting. I was locked in a cage for most of my life because my clan leader feared my kekkei genkai, and he only ever used me to kill. I now have no purpose."

The Namikaze frowned, _'Fear, death, neglect, sacrifice...purpose.'_ He walked over to the boy, and saw that he drew- "A circle?"

A small smile graced his face, "Yeah, my only memory of mother is when she drew a circle in the snow and said: 'Everything comes full circle, son. If you are a good boy, you will be rewarded with good karma. But if you are a bad boy, only bad karma will come of it.'

Naruto lowered himself down onto one knee, "An interesting philosophy, but..." He drew a line from the center of the circle to the edge of it, "You make your own karma kid. And always remember, if you wish it, you can break its hold on you." He then drew the line to the outside of the circle, before standing again.

The boy looked shocked by the blonde's actions, as Naruto ruffled his hair, "You coming?"

He blushed from the contact, "What?"

The puppeteer smirked, "Well, either you can stick around with me and find your purpose, or you can throw your 'karma' to the wolves." A sudden distant howl caused the boy to wince, "Honestly, if you do survive, find me when you get stronger. You would make a good puppet."

The blonde then started walking away.

The boy looked conflicted as he stared at the Namikaze's back, but another howl caused him to quickly stand before running to Naruto's side.

* * *

Setting up camp for the night was quieter than he thought it would be. The stray he picked up was like a gravestone most of the time, "So, what's your name. I'd rather not call you 'kid' for the duration of our time together."

The boy stood up from warming his hands at the fire, "It's Kimimaro, sir."

The blonde smirked, as he put his hat onto the ground next to him, "Good name. Mine is Naruto. Just Naruto, okay?"

He nodded, "Okay, Naruto-sama."

The puppeteer sighed, "I said just Naruto, but if you find that you should hold me in such high esteem, you can use 'sama' when we are around others. When we are alone however, it's just Naruto."

Kimimaro nodded in acceptance as the Namikaze laid on top of his bedroll, "Fuinjutsu is amazing..." He muttered.

The Kaguya tilted his head to the side, "Fuinjutsu? What is that?"

Naruto tensed, and exploded from his bedroll before grabbing the white-haired boy by his shirt "You don't know what fuinjutsu is!"

Kimimaro shook his head, "No Naruto-sa-I mean Naruto."

The blonde let go of him, before pulling out a scroll from seemingly nowhere, "Fuinjutsu is the greatest thing that has ever happened in the history of the shinobi world! It has allowed me to store multiple bedrolls so that you may sleep comfortably tonight! It allows you to do things no other could do without it! It even holds the universe together!"

The last of the Kaguya looked awed, "Really?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, "Well, not that last part, but the rest is true." He then unsealed a pillow, before placing it onto his bedroll, _'Wait, where did that puerile behavior come from?'_ He groaned, ' _These memories are going to be the death of me.'_

Kimimaro adopted a thinking pose, "You are strange, Naruto-sama."

* * *

The next day, they continued to trek on the furthest island from Kirigakure no Sato. Kimimaro hadn't asked where they were going out of respect, but he was growing antsy, much to the blonde's displeasure, "Spit it out already."

The Kaguya jumped from the sudden noise, "What?"

Naruto sighed, "You have been squirming since we started walking, what is it?"

The white-haired boy looked down in shame, "I'm sorry Naruto, but where are we going?"

The puppeteer sighed again, "It's fine Kimimaro-kun, don't worry about it. As to where we are going? Well, we are going to gain our first ally."

The boy looked confused, "Ally?"

Naruto smirked, "Yes, my sources tell me that this is the area _they_ have retreated to," He then took off his kasa, before unsealing a porcelain mask with a single horizontal slit where the eyes should be. He placed it onto his face, and then henged into an adult version of himself. Several different colored seals glowed on his body, before they disappeared, _'This will hide my identity, and these seals will stabilize my illusion. Nothing barring a Hyuga can see through me now.'_

"Several shinobi are coming to capture us, but do not be alarmed Kimimaro. All is going according to plan, okay?"

The Kaguya stiffly nodded, as they waited.

Not a minute later four shinobi shot out of the treeline, before landing in front of them, "You will be coming with us." One of them said confidently.

The puppeteer scoffed, "You are out of your element." Two shadow clones ripped out of the ground behind the ninja, before all three sped through hand seals, **"Three Prong Blue Formation!"**

The shinobi went to attack the blonde, but were stopped by a wall of chakra that formed in front of them. Kimimaro stared in awe, as he saw a pyramid of blue energy surround the four wide-eyed ninja, "What is that Naruto-sama?"

The Namikaze chuckled, "This Kimimaro, is the three prong blue formation technique. It is the weaker parent jutsu to the four violet flames formation, which is strong enough to contain Kage level shinobi. However, this barrier will be sufficient to restrain the trash in front of us." The blonde deepened his voice to make himself sound older.

The shinobi snarled, "Let us out!"

Naruto snorted as he went though a series of hand seals, "No." He said, before placing his hands on the barrier. The pyramid radiated light, before the ninja were suddenly electrocuted by thousands of lightning bolts that arched off the barrier. They screamed in pain, as the lights reflected off Naruto's mask, as well as the surrounding snow. After several seconds the pyramid disappeared, and the shinobi's smoking bodies fell to the ground.

The last of the Kaguya didn't bat an eye, "Are they dead?"

"Nope, they are unconscious which is much more helpful."

* * *

Kaigo Bunrai was not a happy camper as he came to. Being beaten is one thing, but being absolutely dominated was another, and his pride suffered for it. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with the white-haired kid from earlier. He tried to move, but a generous amount of ninja wire prevented that from happening.

"How is he doing Kimimaro-kun?"

The boy turned around, "He still looks useless to me, Naruto-sama."

Walking up to the restrained shinobi, the blonde chuckled, "Remember this Kimimaro, no one is 'useless.' Everyone has something useful to provide to someone, even this poor excuse for a shinobi."

The Kaguya nodded his head in acceptance, while the ninja struggled against his bindings, "You wont get anything from me you pricks! I'd sooner die than give information to a bunch of cowards like you!"

Kimimaro's stoic gaze turned back to Naruto, "Are you sure he is useful?"

"Hey!"

The puppeteer sighed, "Yes, now let's get started..." He formed a ram seal, before closing his eyes in concentration. A massive spike of chakra was followed by a blue aura that started to form around Naruto.

Gulping from the display of power, the shinobi went to plead, but was silenced as the blonde latched his now glowing hand onto his head, **"Uzumaki Hiden: Acumen Extraction Jutsu(Uzumaki Secret Tradition: Acumen Extraction Technique.)"** He mumbled, before the man's eyes turned white and his shoulder's sagged.

Kimimaro watched on with interest, and was reminded of a conversation he had with the blonde earlier.

* * *

 _"What are you going to do with them?" He asked while following the Namikaze._

 _Naruto blinked, "I'm going to forcibly extract the information we need from one of these shinobi."_

 _The Kaguya's brows furrowed, "You are going to torture them?"_

 _The puppeteer shook his head, "No, I'm going to use a technique which can take the information right out of their brain."_

 _"Is that even possible?" He found it hard to believe given his inexperience with the more esoteric ninja arts._

 _The blonde scoffed, "Of course it is, almost anything is possible with chakra. In this case, this jutsu isn't much different than the Yamanaka clan's mind-centered techniques, only just not as strong. You see, the Yamanaka techniques can get every bit of information from a target, even things they do not remember themselves. So, given enough time, they can know everything about you. The jutsu I'll use however, can only delve a few hours at the most into their memories. On top of that, it is extremely taxing on the reserves, and has the potential of killing me if I'm not careful."_

* * *

Shaking his head, he noticed that Naruto was finished with his technique.

The blonde released his hold on the shinobi, before turning toward his companion, "I know where their base is; I'm going."

The Kaguya narrowed his eyes, "Shouldn't you rest first Naruto-sama? I thought you said that jutsu was taxing."

The puppeteer formed a half ram seal, causing a large blue seal to glow on his chest, "I can replenish my reserves with a **Chakra Wakagaeri Fuin(Chakra Rejuvenation Seal).** It's not as effective as a soldier pill, but is far more safe.

Kimimaro nodded, before he went off to get ready for his part, while Naruto sat down on a nearby log, _'If everything should go the way I hypothesize, I will be on my way to making my first major ally. I just hope the rebels are as desperate as I think they are.'_

* * *

Deep underground in the farthest corner of the Land of Water, twenty one year old Mei Terumi's pace was brisk as she opened the wooden door to the war council. Here, all of the rebel's major decisions and attacks are formulated, "Okay, today I wish for us to make some actual progress, and not bicker like fools for five hours straight." She said standing in front of the map of Mizu no Kuni.

The room they were in was large, but spartan. Other than Mei, three generals were gathered around the map with varying expressions of annoyance, "Mei-sama, we need to recruit more shinobi, we won't last with only a few hundred." One Jinin Akebino said. He was a former member of the seven swordsman of the mist, who wielded the Kabutowari.

"And where do you suppose we get these men? Not only do we have to tread carefully to find these shinobi, but we also have to do complete background checks on these people so we know they aren't spies. This naturally turns them off from our cause!" Ao said. He had two paper talisman earrings that had the kanji for 'to hear,' on them. He was a former ANBU member who had an implanted right byakugan eye underneath an eye patch.

A fist slammed on the table, silencing them both, "Didn't you hear what Mei-sama said? No bickering this time." Mangetsu Hozuki said calmly, before retracting his hand. Another former member of the seven swordsman, Mangetsu had shoulder length white hair and purple eyes.

The Hozuki clan member sighed, "I wish that Zabuza didn't go off to try an assassination attempt on that bastard Yagura, we could definitely use him now..."

"But, what about me?"

Everyone's eyes snapped wide open, as they all turned to the corner of the room. Naruto's porcelain mask greeted them, "What's the matter? It looks like someone walked right over your graves..."

In an instant weapons were drawn, as Mei stepped forward, "I didn't think Yagura would catch on so quickly. It's unfortunate that I have to melt you now."

"I have several of your shinobi hostage, if you wish to see them again I suggest you stand down." The blonde's tone was grave, as he leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed.

Jinin scoffed, "Why should we believe you!" He gripped his axe and hammer tightly.

The puppeteer sighed, "Kaigo Bunrai, Shinra Yamamoto, Seizo Mizuko. Do these names ring a bell. How about this, Kaigo was a student of yours Ao, was he not?"

Not taking his eyes off the masked figure, Ao nodded, "He was."

Naruto cracked his neck, "Then you should know that you sent him and his little squad out on patrol a few hours ago. You refined his sensory abilities, and he is one of the few who knows about your byakugan implant under that eye patch..." _'And I'm glad I caught that little tidbit too, or else he would be seeing right though my illusion, and my mask. Thank you fuinjutsu!'_

The room's occupants were stunned by his knowledge of the heavily guarded secret, while Ao scowled, "He is right, Mei-sama." He said reluctantly.

Mei considered her options for a moment, before smiling, "You are quite the manipulative little thing, aren't you?"

The blonde merely waved his hand, as Mei spoke, "Very well, tell us your piece."

The Namikaze smiled under his mask, "I've come here, because I hold the key to defeating Yagura."

Mangetsu grunted, "And I'm guessing you are also a jinchuriki? Because alone, only Kage's and other jinchuriki could stand up to him." The Hozuki's voice was calm, but the dangerous edge to it was not lost on Naruto.

"I'm a fuinjutsu master, who could seal the beast before the Mizukage could even use its power. On top of that, I can use my mastery of the sealing arts to decimate the unsuspecting Kiri forces, due to it being such an esoteric art. I'm willing to lend a hand..."

Mei ran a hand through her long auburn hair, "What proof do you have that you are in fact, a master at fuinjutsu?"

Naruto actually laughed, "Just ask Ao, he has been trying to see through my attire since I revealed myself. I don't swing that way by the way."

If it wasn't such a tense situation, Ao might have been indignant, "It's true, the byakugan can see through anything, even chakra. I can see the countless seals littering his clothing, but I cannot see underneath it." He said in response to Mei's gaze.

"On top of that, how did I manage to get all the all through your base, before entering the room with the strongest shinobi in the rebel-force undetected?" The puppeteer asked with a smirk.

The rhetorical question was unanswered as he continued, "I'm no master of stealth, I can assure you of that. However, I don't need to be, for fuinjutsu can completely hide my chakra signature, and futon manipulation can reduce the sound I make. Even if you do not find my fuinjutsu useful-which you will-I can always be the perfect spy."

Silence blanketed the area as Mei contemplated the pros and cons of either decision.

"Oh, and just a reminder for posterity's sake, since I'm aware you already know this..." Naruto said, causing some of them to tense, "Your force numbers in the hundreds while Yagura's numbers in the thousands. On top of that, no one will be coming to your aid due to the war on the mainland. What I'm offering is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you and your people, Mei-san..."

* * *

Kimimaro sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time since Naruto left. He was tasked with watching over, as well as protecting the three captured shinobi. However, such a task was incredibly boring to the young boy.

 _'I'm grateful that Naruto-sama took me in, but I feel like I'm not helping him as much as I could.'_

"Hello, young one." A sickly voice said from behind him.

Spinning on a dime, he saw someone he thought he would never see again, "It's you..."

A slim man stood several meters away from him with a smile. He had long black hair, pale skin and yellow eyes, "Young Kaguya, I would like you to come with me."

Kimimaro furrowed his brows as the snake-like man spoke again, "You wish to see the truth of this world, do you not? I can give you power, purpose and even the truth you desire. What do you say, child?"

If it were only a couple days earlier, the boy would have gone with him in a heart beat. An image of Naruto ruffling his hair flashed through his mind, "I've already found my purpose in life, I do not require your intervention."

"You've made the right decision Kimimaro-kun, this man would have perverted your existence."

The man's eyes widened, as you turned to find Naruto standing behind him, _'How did I not sense him?'_ "Oh? And what makes you so sure?"

The blonde's mask gave nothing away, "You are Orochimaru of the sannin; a runaway from Konohagakure no Sato. I hear you were ran out by Minato Namikaze. To escape him, you must be really slippery."

Orochimaru scowled, before it was replaced by a sickly smile, "You sound so confident, what is stopping me from killing you and taking this boy?"

Naruto scoffed, "Us S-class shinobi usually have our own agendas, but I didn't think _you,_ the infamous genius of the sannin would be so careless..."

The snake-summoner looked confused, as the puppeteer smirked, "Would you really risk a fight with an unknown for a mere child? I _may_ lose, but our battle would gather quite a bit of attention..."

Orochimaru narrowed his reptilian eyes, as a powerful killing intent exploded out from his person. The blonde tensed, as the surround trees billowed as if a light breeze was affecting them. Kimimaro fell to the ground with wide eyes, as Naruto appeared in front of him in a burst of speed, before pushing back with his own power. Nearby wildlife was instantly killed while the Namikaze gritted his teeth.

And as quickly as it came, it had left, leaving Kimimaro panting, while Naruto fought not to breath out of his mouth.

"Hehehehehe!" The sannin's sudden laughter caused the blonde to scowl under his mask, "That was impressive _masked-man_ , very few could stand up to my power like that. And while I'm sure I could kill you, I think I've stayed in this retched country long enough."

Orochimaru gave a wicked smile, "Keep this in mind though: I'll be watching..." His laughter echoed across the clearing, as he disappeared in a smokeless body flicker.

After several moments, the Namikaze fell to one knee, breathing heavily, _'I don't know how I did it, but I managed to bluff my way through that debacle.'_ Sweat clouded his vision, _'He would have picked me apart if we fought...'_

Two small arms suddenly rapped themselves around Naruto, "Kimimaro, what are you-"

"Th-thank you."

The puppeteer's eyes softened at the small voice, "You-I-eh." He sighed, "It was nothing Kimimaro-kun. Now come on, we now have a warm place to sleep now at the rebel headquarters."

* * *

 **Easy peasy! I know I just posted a chapter a couple days ago, but this one was FAR easier to write. I also was not happy with the quality of my last chapter, so I thought I would rectify that by posting another addition to my story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Now, Naruto has finally found a goal in life other than power. I wanted to show his personal growth, from a broken child, to an angry boy who wanted nothing but power, to now, a teen who wants control of life.**

 **I always thought Kimimaro was wasted in canon, so I thought it would be interesting fleshing him out as a character. I always disliked the whole, 'I serve only for Orochimaru-sama!' Mentality as well.**

 **Responses**

 _Batros940:_ _"I really think it was a waste to have the kage fight in this chapter, it serves no purpose to further the story. Especially when Naruto isn't even there to learn what's going on. If you somehow had a shadow clone of him there to watch some of it if he was curious about his father I could understand that but to also have Naruto that close by to Minato and Jiraiya and neither one noticed him. Which I can understand once he is in the chamber where he gains all that knowledge, but that they don't sense him before when he is fighting the Kumo shinobi they should have noticed his chakra then, at least Minato should have. I would to see Naruto actually start planning what he is goals are instead of doing things without a plan. It just doesn't seem to fit someone as meticulous as you made Naruto out to be. How about some info on Naruto's mother that's something you haven't said anything about since you first mentioned her."_

The Kage fight served the purpose of showing that a war was going on around Naruto. A story that blocks everything but one person's perspective can work, but I don't like that as much. Also, just because someone isn't there to view something, doesn't mean I can't write about it.

Naruto was many many kilometers away when he fought that Kumo shinobi. Yes, Minato can sense even further than that, but only if it is a massive influx of chakra, like when Naruto used his biju-chakra modes in canon. And while you can argue that he could have still sensed Naruto even though our favorite blonde didn't actually use any high chakra usage jutsu(His missiles used fuel emissions) He didn't. I thought what I did made the most sense, and we will just have to agree to disagree on that subject.

Naruto is an eleven year old boy who has been through a lot of terrible crap. He is incredibly intelligent, yes. However, he was, at that point, very lost. He didn't really have any concrete goals, and this put him in a precarious mental state. I tried to show that through the story, but I guess I'll have to try harder. I apologize for that.

Naruto's mother will be revealed later on.

 **Glossary**

 **Mizu no Kuni(Land of Water.): A country with one large island, that is surrounded by smaller land masses.**

 **Jutsu**

 **Three Prong Blue Formation: A barrier technique, that requires three people in a triangle formation to use. It is strong enough to withstand jonin level shinobi, but weaker than the Four Violet Flames Formation Technique which can hold Kage. B ranked**

 **Uzumaki Hiden: Acumen Extraction Jutsu(Uzumaki Secret Tradition: Acumen Extraction Technique): A secret jutsu from the Uzumaki clan, that can be used to extract information from the target. It is extremely taxing on the reserves, and can kill the user if they are not careful. A ranked**

 **Chakra Wakagaeri Fuin(Chakra Rejuvenation Seal): A powerful seal, which the user can store chakra into over time. When it is filled, tthe user can they activate it to replenish their reserves. It is not as potent as a soldier pill, but it does not strain the body. B ranked**

 **Stats**

 **Naruto Namikaze**

 **Ninjutsu: 5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 3/6**

 **Genjutsu: 3.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5.5/6**

 **Strength: 2/6**

 **Speed: 3.5/6**

 **Stamina: 3.5/6**

 **Hand Seals: 4.5/6**

 **Total: 35**

 **Kimimaro Kaguya**

 **Ninjutsu: 3/6**

 **Taijutsu: 3.5/6**

 **Genjutsu: 1.5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 3.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 2/6**

 **Strength: 2/6**

 **Speed: 3/6**

 **Stamina: 3/6**

 **Hand Seals: 2/6**

 **Total: 23.5**

 **Orochimaru**

 **Ninjutsu: 6/6**

 **Taijutsu: 3.5/6**

 **Genjutsu: 5/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 5/6**

 **Intelligence: 6/6**

 **Strength: 3/6**

 **Speed: 4.5/6**

 **Stamina: 3.5/6**

 **Hand Seals: 5/6**

 **Total: 41.5**


	11. Broken Current

**Chapter 11**

 **Broken Current**

Staring at his bedroom's ceiling for the last three hours, it was safe to say Minato Namikaze couldn't sleep. It was at times like these though that he thought of Naruto the most. The Hokage tuned his head to gaze onto his wife's sleeping face with a frown.

His son's death was a constant reminder to him that his family's safety wasn't always guaranteed, _''The weight of the village feels like the Hokage Monument is constantly strapped to my back.'_ He thought, as he lightly moved a strand of hair out of Kushina's mouth.

A light flare of chakra caused him to tense imperceptibly. Without a sound, he created a seal-less shadow clone, before substituting with it, _'Last thing I need is a cranky Uzumaki.'_ He thought, while he quickly dressed.

Turning once more, he smiled at his now drooling wife, before disappearing with a soundless body flicker.

* * *

A lone figure watched the night life of Konohagakure no Sato with a sad smile, _'I wonder how you're doing, Tsunade.'_ A cold breeze suddenly washed over him, as he grasped his stump of a left arm with a light scowl, _'Damn cold, not even the clothed-brace keeps it out.'_

"Is it still bothering you, sensei?"

Turning around with a pained smirk, the toad sage spoke, "I don't think I'll ever get used to being a cripple, kid." Minato frowned while Jiraiya shook his head, "I just wish I was a bit more useful now that I only have one arm."

The blond's head sagged slightly, "If only I was quicker, your arm could have been saved-"

"Just stop it Minato!" The sannin said with a fierce gaze.

The Hokage's lone eye widened, before he turned away as a momentary silence overcame the two. Jiraiya sighed, his eyes softening, "Every time we've met since Uzu, you've slowly been perfecting the art of self-loathing." He rolled his shoulder, "I never blamed you for anything, I knew the risks involved. And honestly, I'd rather be a cripple than a headstone."

The Namikaze sighed, before nodding "You're right sensei, I'll stop acting childish. But you know, you are still the greatest spymaster who has ever lived, even with one arm." He said with a smile.

The sage grinned, "Damn right brat! Just like you're still the strongest we have to offer, even with only one eye. Now, onto more important matters..." Their expressions grew serious, "It seems that at least Onoki survived the explosion, though his son Kitsuchi has taken over the position as Tsuchikage."

Minato walked over to stand next to his sensei, "Why has the position as Tsuchikage been taken over? Is Onoki injured? And what of Ae?" He said, the few sparse twenty four hour lights catching his attention.

Jiraiya's arm tensed, wanting to cross his arms out of habit, "It seems Onoki was put into a coma. As for The Yodaime Raikage, no successor has been announced, and there hasn't been any word of his whereabouts." He sighed in frustration, "It's possible that this is all a ruse to catch us unaware, but if we barely made it out of there with the hiraishin..."

The blond's single eye narrowed, "Then it is unlikely they could have gotten out without serious injury, or even death." His hands clenched, "The Raikage is, or was probably the fastest shinobi. My jutsu utilizes teleportation, and even with that edge..." The Hokage touched the dark fabric that now covered where his right eye was, "We nearly lost out lives."

"There's something else I need to tell you, kid."

Minato turned his attention back to his sensei, "This seems more serious."

The toad sage nodded, "I went back to investigate the crater in Uzu."

The blond raised an eyebrow, "The team I sent out four weeks ago found nothing, sensei."

Jiraiya snorted, "None of them were fuinjutsu masters though. I have reason to believe someone set off that explosion, and seeing how Onoki and Ae were just as shocked as we were, this mystery person must be a third party."

The Namikaze's face contorted with confusion, "Wait, so if there wasn't any evidence found, what _did_ you find? Seals don't leave any evidence of their use unless it uses a **persistence technique-formula** like my hiraishin kunai."

The sannin sighed, "That's just it, there was no evidence found other than traces of an underground chamber. Which got me thinking..." He cupped his chin, "If there was no evidence, it was likely the explosion came from fuinjutsu, and that underground chamber seems like the perfect spot to utilize it. I'm not saying I'm one hundred percent sure there is a third party. However, if all my time as a shinobi has taught me one thing, it's that there are no coincidences in war."

The Hokage's face turned grim, as the toad sage started walking away, "Don't think too hard on it now kid, get some sleep with your wife," He turned back with a lecherous grin, "I don't know, maybe wake her up for a round of hiding the kunai!"

"Sensei!" Minato yelled with a faint blush, _'Although, it has been a while...'_

* * *

Looking over the rainy village of **Amegakure no Sato** , Obito scowled under his mask, _'Who are you, and what is your purpose?'_ It has been roughly six years since he left the confines of Madara's secret hideout in the **Mountain's** **Graveyard**. But to him, every day since has felt like an eternity.

The twenty year old Uchiha used to be an unintelligent mess; the 'black sheep' of his family, the 'dead last.' However, years of being cultivated by the strongest Uchiha to have ever lived turned that all around. He just wished _she_ didn't have to die for him to get to this point.

 _'Rin...'_

Rin Nohara was everything to the boy; the only person his age that he believed understood him. However, he wasn't trying to complete Madara's goals because of her death. No, he was going to succeed so that no one would have to feel like he did, and still does after losing the one's they love.

At least, that is what he originally set out to do. He couldn't help but think of how Rin would respond to his late sensei's goals though. Every night since he left the hideout her stern visage would flash through his head like a curtain of water, drowning him in uncertainty. He knew she would be vehemently opposed to such extreme and radical ideals. So what should he do? His heart was torn in half from this conundrum. Should he follow his sensei and his ideals? Or should he follow the girl he loved with all his heart?

In the end, he decided to follow the latter.

"Madara." A deep voice sounded behind him.

A stray arc of lighting lit up the Uchiha's orange mask, accentuating his sharingan eye, "Pein, how goes our plans?" He said, turning to stare into the deva path's rinnegan orbs.

Stoic as ever, the orange-haired body spoke, "Everything is fine, Madara." Silence overcame the two, as Pein's unblinking eyes stared into Obito's, _'Those eyes do not belong to you...'_

Her presence alerted him before the footsteps did, "Your visit is unexpected, you were just here last month." The blue-haired beauty known as Konan said as she walked out of the shadows from behind Pein.

The Uchiha narrowed his lone eye, "I didn't realize I needed an invitation...Konan." His Akatsuki cloak lightly billowed from the wind coming from the balcony behind him, "I have new information that I need you to relay to our group. Zetsu."

A plant-like man slowly rose from the floor next to Obito. His body was divided vertically, with one half pitch black, and the other a stark white, "Hello everyone!" The white half said. **"It seems a new organization has cropped up recently. They call themselves 'The Animus,' with their goals being entirely unknown."** The dark half said with a much deeper tone.

The sharingan wielder turned away slightly, "The group has been going after S-class shinobi for the last few months. Most of the possible recruits I've been considering have been killed."

Konan narrowed her eyes as the faux Akatsuki leader showed no reaction, "What other information do you have?"

White Zetsu spoke up, "They are strong enough to take on upper A-class shinobi with no hassle, **a** **nd have been shown to defeat those of S-class without causing too much attention. They are very careful and resourceful; not even we have been able to find anything significant. "** Black Zetsu finished.

Obito's eye shifted, "Zetsu has only been able to get close enough to see a white six-pointed star, that is outlined in black." A vortex suddenly appeared around him, as he slowly started to warp away, "Whether that is a personal choice in attire, or a group specific one is still up in the air. However, do not underestimate this group, and make sure our forces don't either."

* * *

The consistent string of metallic _clangs_ caused him to smile underneath his mask, as he watched Kimimaro spar with the boy known as Chojuro. It has been an eventful two weeks since he manipulated his way into the ranks of the rebel forces. Though if he were honest, he would say progress was slow.

The meek seven-swordsman trainee blocked a bone sword with his katana, before ducking a second strike. Seeing his chance, the bone wielder struck out with a fierce kick, knocking the air out of the blue-haired boy before he was launched back into the nearby training ground wall.

 _'He is just as skilled as Kimimaro, but his lack of confidence is holding him back.'_ He thought, while a nearby Mangetsu shouted, "Stop being scared Chojuro! Your just as good as the Kaguya kid!"

During his stay, he has been left out of all the 'secret meetings' like the one he dropped in on. Which was understandable, trust is earned not given. However, what irked him the most was how Mei held him back. He hasn't been involved in any mission that truly utilized his skills, just simple kill missions while being monitored. He was beginning to miss his independence.

How do you earn someone's trust when you are held back from taking any significant action? _'If Mei keeps me in the dark any longer, I'll have to take things into my own hands.'_ He frowned as Chojuro managed to land a solid punch on Kimimaro, _'Although, that may do more harm than good. Mei seems like the type to give respect on her terms.'_

" **Yurei(Ghost)**." Naruto turned slightly as Ao landed beside him, "Mei-sama demands your presence within the war-room." His face was hardened with distrust as the blond's barely visible crimson eyes blinked, "Very well, I'll be there shortly."

The rebel ninja relayed a much more cordial demand to Mangetsu, as the puppeteer turned to the now approaching Kimimaro, "Seems we are finally getting out break, Kimimaro-kun." Naruto ruffled his young ward's hair, "Keep training, you are getting better." The Kaguya blushed faintly as the blond trailed behind Ao and Mangetsu.

* * *

Gathered within the spacious war-room, Naruto watched on quietly as Mei, the generals and various officers argued over what the best course of action in the war was.

"I'm telling you all," Jinin said fiercely, "We need to open trade routes to the main land. Not only are we outnumbered, but are supplies are running low. We _need_ food, weapons, metal and wood."

Mei sighed, "We all agree with you Jinin, but we have no way of opening up a secret trade route without Yagura noticing. We can't be so short sighted, we need to see the bigger picture."

The blond crossed his arms, _'The rebels picked the worst island to hole up in...'_ He tilted his head in thought.

When the bloodline purges started, the current rebel force was nothing more than several sparse groups of broken souls. It was Mei's group that created the base he was in on the furthest island from the mainland. And it was Mei who fought tooth and nail to gather and create the rebel force seen today.

His focus shifted to the auburn beauty who was trying desperately not to lash out in frustration, _'She is slowly cracking under the pressure.'_ He thought, as he stepped forward just close enough to see the map of Mizu no Kuni.

The Land of Water was a single large island surrounded by twelve smaller land masses. Each of the twelve was marked with a number, with their island marked with the number 'ten' being furthest away from any other country. And that's where the problem lies, the distance from the mainland. Any trade route would have to go all the way around the Land of Water to get to them, which would be easy pickings for the Mizukage.

The fuinjutsu master let out an inaudible sigh, "Mei." Every shinobi within the room quieted down, as they turned their attention towards Naruto.

The rebel leader met his gaze, "Yes, Yurei?"

Naruto was unperturbed by the distrustful glares, "I have a solution to our little problem. It's risky, but if played right, you will get all the supplies you will ever need. That is, if you would hear me."

Scoffs were heard, as Mei raised an eyebrow, "I'll admit, my interest is piqued. Let's hear it."

The blond stepped up to the circular table holding the map, "I propose we launch an assault onto island 'one,' and take over the base that protects and regulates their main trade route there. This will force Kiri to get their goods from the Land of Lightning, and secure us the supplies you so desperately need."

Most looked at him as if he were insane, while an officer across from him scowled, "You are a blithering fool! That base is nearly as protected as Kiri itself!"

Another shinobi sounded from behind him, "Why is this outsider even here? It is obvious he is most likely a spy!"

Many nodded in agreement, while Mei turned her head in the direction of the more verbose members of the war-council, "He is here, because I want him to be here. He has proven himself to be intelligent and resourceful, so we will give him a chance." She turned back to Naruto, "Elucidate Yurei."

The Namikaze blinked, "Using my skills in infiltration, I'll be able to enter the base undetected. They will have a barrier erected to stop such things from happening, but unless Kiri has a new barrier master I don't know about, then it will be child's play to create a brief passage for myself. "

The officer's eyes grew wider as he spoke, "Following that, I'll line strategic points in the base with some of my more...energetic explosive tags, which will be set to detonate with a simple flare of my chakra. After the detonation that will undoubtedly wipe out at least twenty percent of the subsequent opposition, I'll assassinate the general that is in the central tower."

Mangetsu chuckled, "And I suppose _you_ will take out the rest of the forces there yourself?"

Naruto tilted his head quizzically, "Of course not, a large force of rebel shinobi will wait until my signal to invade the base, with the signal being the explosions of course. With the turmoil and confusion caused by my diversion, I only estimate a minuscule loss to our forces." His voice was devoid of any emotion as he spoke.

Mei squared her shoulders, "You keep giving out percentages and estimations. How do we know you can even infiltrate the base in the first place? And where are you getting your calculations?"

Ao visibly recoiled, "Mei-sama, you can't be actually entertaining his crazy plan. All it would take is one serious loss to plunge us into a quagmire that would be nigh improbable to get out-"

"Shut up Ao, or I'll kill you." The rebel leader interrupted coldly, not taking her eyes off Naruto.

Ao gritted his teeth, while The blond smirked underneath his mask, "I know I can infiltrate it, because I've done so before."

The auburn woman scowled, "Explain."

The puppeteer chuckled, "I knew the issues the rebel forces were dealing with before I entered this alliance with you, Mei. Ergo, I have already been making preparations to establish a trade route to supply your shinobi. This plan of mine has been in the works for weeks now."

Mei's hands clenched, " _You_ can supply our army?"

"Have you ever heard of Gato Shipping?" The blond asked immediately after her response.

Mangetsu uncrossed his arms, "I heard that it was taken over by some hot-shot businessman."

Naruto nodded, "And you are looking at him. Think about it Mei, the power of a multi-billion ryo company at your back. I can easily supply your army with food, water, weapons and much more. All you would need to do is send me on what most of you perceive to be a suicide mission. If I fail, your troops can simply retreat undetected, while I am killed."

The rebel leader was silent, as the Namikaze stared her down, _'She will cave in, not because she trusts me, but because she is beyond desperate to save her people.'_

He watched how she bit her lip and how her shoulder's tensed. It was a chilling reminder of the late Uzukage's own inner turmoil when he fought to keep _his_ people safe. Naruto's eyes softened, _'You are a good person Mei; Far better than I...'_

Mei sighed, seemingly calming down, "Very well Yurei, give us the specifics."

* * *

It was nearly nightfall in the Land of Water, and the inhabitants of trade base simply known as **Current** were setting up for a much needed sleep. The military settlement was built right next to the coast for immediate response to supplies that came from Tea Country. And it was because of this little fact that made it incredibly arduous to infiltrate the base. With nothing to hide behind, any would-be intruder would either have to come from the water-which was suicide by itself-or from the treeline half a kilometer away.

One hundred meters from the military installation, Naruto concentrated with a ram seal several meters underground, _'As expected, they increased the barrier's radius to deter shinobi from what I'm doing.'_ He smirked, _'But they never accounted for the lost fuinjutsu of the Uzumaki clan.'_

Most barrier's were invisible, and nothing barring a doujutsu could see through it. At least, that was until he found a certain fuinjutsu within the recesses of his mind. By using something called a **Barrier Clashing Seal,** he could temporarily cause small sections of barriers to become visible.

Pulling out a seal tag with the kanji for ' _Clash_ _'_ on it, he placed it in front of him before channeling an imperceptible amount of chakra. In an instant, a small wall of yellow light appeared in front of him, _'The barrier...I have to admit, it is rather pretty. But more importantly, now comes the arduous part.'_

With the barrier now visible, he sped through several hand seals, before placing his hand onto the barrier. There is no real way to open a barrier unless your chakra signature was recorded within it; it just wasn't possible. However, Naruto wasn't going to open it per-se, he was going to trick the barrier.

 **"Uzumaki Hiden: DaiKekkai Watariroka Jutsu(Uzumaki Secret Tradition: Great Barrier Passage Technique.)** Pulling his hand away, a blue **j** **utsu-Shiki(Technique Formula)** materialized in a flower formation.

The secret technique of the Uzumaki clan integrated his own chakra signature into the barrier's internal registry. The seal isn't treated as an anomaly because it uses the barrier's own chakra as a source of sustainability.

Within a few moments, the seal he placed radiated a deep purple, causing him to smile, _'And we're in.'_

* * *

General Masato was rather pleased with himself, as he reclined in his spacious office within Base Current's central tower. He finished his boring paperwork earlier in the day, and the base's troops have been well behaved for once. He briefly postulated if Yagura had the same luxury as he did, before scoffing, _'Every single person is terrified of the man, I doubt he ever has to deal with rambunctious shinobi.'_

Sitting up straight, he pulled open one of his desk's drawers, _'Hah, the day just keeps getting better.'_

With a wide grin, he pulled a rather large bottle of sake out of the desk's contents, before shutting the drawer with his knee, "Alcohol and then sleep; sounds good to me." He popped the cork off the bottle and started to drink with fervor.

"At least it will dull the pain."

Spitting out copious amounts of sake in a panic, the general's wide green eyes swept across the dark office, "Show yourself! This better not be a prank Shouta!"

Stepping out of the shadowed corner of the room, Naruto's figure was lit up by the moonlight that seeped through the window behind the general, "This is no prank, Masato. Any last words?"

The general smirked, "Just one: die!"

The alcohol he spit out earlier formed into a clone, before he decapitated the blond with a double-edged zanbatou, "You were sneaky, but also reckless!" Masato stated with a sudden laugh.

A familiar tingle in the back of his mind alerted him, _'Genjutsu? Damn!'_

"Kai!"

The world around him shifted and turned, as the intruder's corpse as well as his clone disappeared. In front of the desk, Naruto created a half-ram seal, before flaring his chakra wildly. Deafening _cracks_ and _booms_ sounded around the base, as Naruto's seals each detonated with the force of fifty exploding tags. The tower shook and splintered from the force, while the general fought to keep his balance, _'An attack on Current? Impossible!'_

A puff of smoke that was drowned out by the thunderous explosions revealed Ameyuri Ringo in all her glory. Lightning oscillated between the kiba blades she held, as Masato's eyes widened, "This isn't possible..."

* * *

Concealed within the faraway treeline, Mei Terumi watched the base like a hawk, _'What's taking you so long?'_

Behind her, one hundred and fifty rebel shinobi laid in wait with varying degrees of nervousness. Ao quietly stepped up behind the rebel leader, "He sure is taking his time; we will be discovered before long." Ao stated quietly.

"You are wrong." A soft voice said from behind them.

Turning they saw Kimimaro, who was the epitome of calm, "He will succeed, and you will get your trade route Mei-sama."

A sudden series of explosions caused every rebel shinobi's eyes to widen, _'The signal!'_

"He actually did it!"

"Woah, did only one ninja really do that?"

"We may actually have a chance!"

Ao smirked as he looked back on his comrades, "At least moral will be high."

Massive plumes of smoke only able to be seen because of the widespread fires rose above the base. Mei's face hardened as she raised one of her arms, "We haven't won yet! Let's show Yagura why he should have taken us seriously!" Her stern voice carried across her troops like rain in a storm.

With a narrowing of her eyes, she fiercely dropped her arm, "Attack!"

* * *

Ringo's lightning charged blades sliced through the office desk as if it weren't even there, before slamming into Masato's zanbatou. The Kiri general fought to push the human puppet away, "Ringo! You bitch!" He gritted his teeth in exertion, but made no head way.

Behind Ringo, Naruto formed a half ram seal with his left hand while twitching his ring and pointer fingers back with his right, **"Raiton: Raiga(Lightning Release: Lightning Fang.)"**

"Argh!"

The sudden involuntary scream of pain went unheard, as the lightning jutsu cut through his metallic armor like butter, before sending him spiraling out his window with a trail of smoke.

With a resounding _thud,_ Masato landed on a roof of a nearby structure in a heap, _'Damn!'_ Rolling onto his side with a groan, he fought not to vomit.

Landing several meters away with Ameyuri in front of him, Naruto sighed, "You've lost."

With a pained chuckle, the general attempted to stand with a grunt. His legs wobbled, before he fell back onto his rear, "You're s-stupid, my men will be here any second to k-kill your ass."

Attaching a single chakra string to Masato, he pulled him to his feet, "Take a look around you general."

Flames littered the area, as the disoriented shinobi of Base Current were slowly being overwhelmed by the rebel force. The many mess halls, barracks and storage areas were in shambles, "No. No, this cannot be...this is Current!" With a roar he ripped himself from the puppeteer's grasp, "This base will not fall! I'll see to that!"

The blond sealed Ringo back into the storage seal on his arm, "Very well. Fortunately for you though, Mei needs you for questioning, so I will have to knock you out."

Grabbing his sword from the ground with shaking hands, the kiri general hoisted it onto his shoulder, before initiating a charge. Reaching Naruto in less than a second, he brought his zanbato down vertically.

 _ZIP!_

Eyes wide with confusion, Masato's sword hit nothing but air before it slammed into the roof creating spiderweb cracks.

 _SWISH!_

Accompanied by a sonic boom, the blond appeared behind the general with a familiar sphere of chakra, **"Rasengan!"**

The technique ground through the armor plating on his back, before detonating in a brilliant flash of blue. As Masato was launched into the waiting arms of a nearby batch of clones, the puppeteer gazed at his hand, _'As much as I dislike that technique, I do have to give credit where it is due.'_ He looked over just as Mei submerged a squad of shinobi in lava, _'It's devoid of any taste or artistry, but it's effective at knocking out opponents.'_

* * *

Naruto watched the twinkling of the stars from the top of Base Current's central tower, _'All's well that ends well.'_

It didn't take long for the rebel forces to take over the base. Between the disorientation, the explosions, the lack of a leader and the loss in moral, it was a wonder if the Kiri shinobi had any chance at all.

In the aftermath, many feared a swift retaliation from Yagura, but the blond put their minds at ease. The truth was, this plan only worked because of his one of a kind knowledge in fuinjutsu. Yagura's forces would have to hurdle over all of Current's geographical advantages just to fight them. It truly wasn't worth the fight; they would achieve a Pyrrhic victory at best.

"Mei-san, I didn't expect you to forgo your precious time to come and see me."

His voice was filled with obvious mirth, which caused the auburn beauty to smile, "Your sarcasm always lifts my spirits, Yurei. If only you would show me your face, I'm sure you are easy on the eyes."

The blond scoffed, "Are you flirting with _the_ outcast? What would your shinobi think?"

Mei let out a short laugh, "You still don't think we trust you." It wasn't a question.

He turned his head to look at her, "I heard that Mangetsu said he 'can trust me as far as he can throw me.' I think that about sums up the collective thoughts of your people, Mei."

She walked to stand next to him, "You might not know it, but my people aren't very happy, or positive for that matter. The bloodline purges caused the seed of hatred to be planted within them, and with hatred comes distrust. However, are first major victory here has raised everyone's spirits. Many believe we can actually succeed now, that we can actually dethrone the monster that lies in Kirigakure no Sato. And this is all because of you, Yurei. Trust is earned, and you have at least earned mine."

The Namikaze raised an eyebrow, "And what about you?"

"Hmm?"

He sighed, "Do you hate Yagura and his followers?"

Mei became silent, as her eyes gazed into the pitch black ocean. She watched as the tide came in and out before speaking, "I do, but not for the damage he did to me personally. I _loath_ Yagura for brutally murdering my family...and the families of my people."

Turning back to look at the stars, Naruto smiled, "I hate my family." His hands found his pockets, seeking refuge from the cold.

The kekkei genkai wielder raised an eyebrow, "Why is that?"

His shoulder's tensed, "They made me cynical, angry, vengeful and nigh narcissistic. Everything I am today is a product of their negligence, and it's because of their negligence that I nearly lost myself." He didn't know where this was all coming from. Was he really that angry? Yes he was, but why was it cropping up now? And in front of the one person he needs on his side no less.

"But you didn't."

His eyes widened as she continued, "Your family sounds like they didn't help you when they should have, and I'm not saying you are wrong about that. However, your anger may be misplaced. One thing I learned after being betrayed by my country is that all the vile crap you overcome only makes you stronger. And it is with that strength that we can forge our own destinies."

 _The blonde sighed, before turning around to leave, "That which doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger. You are too aged to become a shinobi, so strengthen your mind. You have lived today, learn from your mistakes and better yourself."_

'Maybe I should take my own advice?'

* * *

Deep within the recesses of the dim room, Genji Uzumaki sat barely illuminated by the nearby candlelight, "And why should I take anything you say seriously? Why shouldn't I strike you down right now?" His voice was calm, but his blazing sharingan eyes would have deterred most.

 **"Obito no longer follows Madara's will, but as the remnant of Izuna, you respect it, do you not?"**

Genji smirked, "Izuna sensei anchored himself to this plane after he 'died.' During that time, he recorded much about the world that most wouldn't have been able to. You see, as a spirit, a lot more becomes a accessible to you. Say for instance that a certain parasite was to forge the contents of a certain stone tablet. Oh, or if a certain liar was to manipulate Madara Uchiha..."

The Uzumaki's tomoes spun wildly, "So you see Zetsu, before my eyes, before my knowledge, you are nothing but a parasite. However, I'll help you out. I know you will turn on me once your goals are complete, but I will simply just cut you down."

 **"You are so sure of yourself, Genji. You and your band of miscreants are mere refuse in the face of a God."**

And with that, Genji felt his presence disappear, "A God, huh?" His eyes morphed into a tesseract, "Interesting..."

* * *

 **And that is chapter eleven done! Before I get into anything else, I have to apologize to you guys. I stated that I wanted to release a chapter at least every two weeks, and I'll still be trying to do just that. However, there is a lot that is going on in my life right now. It has been found out that my father has liver cancer, which means that there is one less source of income within my household. I'm trying to get a job, and just put in five applications-resume included-in one day alone. And soon, I'll be going to college as well, so I'm preparing for that. Please just bare with me! :D**

 **Kages lived?: Minato and Jiraiya barely made it out alive because of the Hiraishin.**

 **What about Ae?: Will be revealed later.**

 **Obito's a good guy?: No, he is not. Obito is a lot like Naruto in my story in a lot of ways. Obito's alignment will be dubious most of the time, mainly because of his disconnected uncertainty. However, Obito wont be going for the same goal as in canon.**

 **Naruto knows rasengan?: If the unintelligent mess of canon Naruto could learn it in a week or two, then this Naruto would have no issues. In my opinion, the water balloon method, as well as his high stamina aloud him to learn it quicker than normal. However, Remembrance Naruto has WAY better chakra control, as well as intelligence.**

 **Zetsu and OC align? What is with Genji's eyes?: I finally gave some backstory to Genji and Animus. Most will be explained later, but I'm trying hard to diverge from canon as much as possible.**

 **Responses**

DragonPony022

 _Well this is interesting I have to say. I think him fighting in the Mist will be great for Naruto. I mean kinda, it will give him some of that much needed experience as well as give him a chance to really work out his skill. He might be able to also use some of those newly gained skills to mix it with his puppeteer to make some of the most dangerous puppets ever seen. HE will also have a great number of powerful warriors to use and make into puppets from all this fighting. Kimimaro coming in I didn't see coming but it will be interesting to see what Naruto will do with his young ward. I only hope Naruto picks up that he is REALLY sick or will be soon or else he will have to deal with losing his soon to be little brother figure. I hope Naruto down the road finds a romantic interest. We can see now that he can care for others now, I hope he opens himself to love as well down the road as well._

-I'm glad your interest is peaked! I'm not sure if there will be pairings, but I think there is fairly strong possibility. Thanks for reading, as well as the review! :D

Azrael Akuma

 _9/10 IGN "Needs more puppets."_

-Stay classy, haha.

Batros940

 _Wasn't expecting Naruto to go and decide to become a tyrant after receiving all those memories from the uzumaki clan. I was expecting him to enjoy knowing what it feels like to have someone care about him and encouraging him to do his best since he seems to not have any memories like that from Minato. As to the missiles from last chapter, the only people to use them where Satori and Pain. And I always figured there where powered by chakra with the use of seals since gunpowder is pretty much nonexistant. I had to laugh when I read the part where Naruto stands up to Orochimaru's killing intent. I figured Orochimaru would grab Naruto and Kimimaru._

-I'm aiming for a gray Naruto. At first he was pushing dark, but he is growing in a lot of ways.

-The missiles have exploding seal matrixes, but use fuel ignition to propel them.

-I'm glad you liked the part with Orochimaru. I really wanted to showcase how shrewd Naruto can be.

 **Stats**

 **Stats**

 **Naruto Namikaze**

 **Ninjutsu: 5/6**

 **Taijutsu: 3/6**

 **Genjutsu: 4/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 4.5/6**

 **Intelligence: 5.5/6**

 **Strength: 2/6**

 **Speed: 4/6**

 **Stamina: 3.5/6**

 **Hand Seals: 4.5/6**

 **Total: 36**

 **Masato**

 **Ninjutsu: 4/6**

 **Taijutsu: 4/6**

 **Genjutsu: 2/6**

 **Bukijutsu(Weapon technique): 5/6**

 **Intelligence: 3/6**

 **Strength: 3.5/6**

 **Speed: 4/6**

 **Stamina: 3.5/6**

 **Hand Seals: 3/6**

 **Total: 32**


	12. Blood Spectre

**Chapter 12**

 **The Blood Spectre**

The cool, moist air soothed his skin as he peered into the still lake. It was a starry night, with the Moon reflecting of the water's surface with stunning clarity.

Grasping his porcelain mask lightly, he pushed it onto the top of his head with a sigh. A content smile stretched across his face, as he took a deep breath of fresh air, before looking up at the moon, _'I wish the world was not so imperfect. If it wasn't, I could just spend the rest of my days like this.'_

Raising a hand, he put his thumb over the celestial body, "Heh," He chuckled, "No, that would be too simple for Naruto Namikaze..."

It had been over a month since the rebel forces took over Base Current in an incredible show of strength. The rebel's worked quick to restore the base back to its former glory. In the grand scheme of things, the destruction of the base was a small price to pay for the influx of goods coming from Gora Shipping Company.

Mei's forces were now well fed and well armed. And as he thought, Yagura didn't immediately retaliate. No, the Misukage made a far more wise decision, and decided to see just who was supplying his enemy. He couldn't attack his company directly, because Gora Shipping supplied many counties; the fallout would be too great. Instead, he sent a messenger to his headquarters in Wave, trying to strike up a deal vicariously.

Suffice to say, the Mizukage did not get what he wanted.

While he accounted for Yagura's moves thus far; however, he did not account for the rebel force's new-found trust for his work. He expected Mei's trust, sure. But, he did not expect the lower ranking soldiers, who he hadn't even met to hold him in such high esteem.

"So this is where you went to." A silky voice said from behind him.

Showing zero anxiety, Naruto slowly lowered his mask, "What is it, Mei?" His voice was cold, as he continued to stare up at Earth's satellite.

With a smirk, Mei Terumi walked to stand next to him, "Your tone is rather icy, maybe I should warm you up~."

Turning to look at Mei, he sighed, "I apologize Mei, I guess the cool air is getting to me, or maybe it's your voice? Hard to say."

This was a game they had been playing since they took over Current. A game of wits and rhetoric where they would pretend to be on each other's nerves. If he were honest, he didn't really understand the point of it. Maybe it was a bonding thing more emotionally driven humans do?

"Apology accepted, Yurei," She said with a smile, before lightly flicking his mask, "So, how are you holding up? Still talking to your puppets?"

The blond actually groaned, "Ever since I've revealed myself to be a puppeteer, you and Mangetsu have been _joking,"_ The last part he said with disdain, "About it. Just give it a rest already; it's puerile behavior."

Yes, the Namikaze revealed to his new found allies that he is indeed a puppeteer, even though he still kept his human puppeteering a secret. This spurred on wild theories that he was from Sunagakure, or at least the Land of Wind much to his annoyance.

The Auburn beauty let out a legitimate laugh, causing his heart to flutter, _'That feeling again, what is it?'_

Her only visible eye which was not covered by hair seemed to light up, "Oh Yurei-kun, it's all good in fun; you need to lighten up a little!"

Hands suddenly finding his pockets, he scowled. Wait, did he feel embarrassed? The concept seemed foreign to him, only really feeling such things before the Kyubi incident in Konoha. He remembered when Kushina Uzumaki would constantly rile him up over trivial matters, much to his chagrin.

"So, did you just come here in a vain attempt to annoy me? Or is there anything of importance?" He asked lightly.

Taking no offense, Mei's smile dimmed, "While I did come here to see how you are doing, there is something that I need you to do."

His interest now piqued, the blond fully turned his body, "Go on." He said simply, his barely visible red eyes locking onto her's.

"I'm sure knowing you, you heard about the latest ghost stories from the front?" Her expression was now serious.

Naruto frowned, "Are you talking about the "Blood Spectre?"

She nodded, "Yes, this Kiri soldier has been single handedly, as well as ruthlessly picking off our forces." Rubbing her hands together to warm up, she turned to look into the lake.

For the past two weeks, squads of rebel shinobi have gone missing. The retrieval teams sent out only found piles of flesh, blood and bone strewn across relatively intact areas. Every sight has been the same, but only one other set of tracks has ever been found. This gave the mystery shinobi the epithet 'Blood Spectre.'

The blond inclined his head, "What do you want me to do? Hunt him down myself?" While he wasn't opposed to the idea, he thought that course of action was rather rash. He would follow whatever orders his new ally would give however.

"No." Mei seemed to hesitate for a second, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow, "I just need you to figure out who this mystery ninja is. His abilities, his loyalty to Yagura, anything and everything."

The puppeteer was silent for a few moments, before he nodded, "Very well, it shall be done within the next week. Just make sure-"

"That I look after Kimimiaro-kun?" Mei cut him off with a smirk, "You really are like a concerned parent, I thought Mangetsu was exaggerating."

Naruto's hands twitched, fighting to not bring out both Gari and Ringo, "I'm not 'like a concerned parent,' Kimimaro is just my responsibility." He noticed the rebel leader's knowing smile, which caused him to shake his head, "How is he doing anyway? I haven't been able to see his progress since you put him under Mangetsu's wing."

"From what I gather in Mangetsu's reports, he is doing very well. I actually sent them on a mission this morning," She cupped her chin, "He has incredible natural talent in close quarters combat, even more so than Mangetsu, his words not mine." She looked over to see him looking away, "What is it?"

The blond sighed, and then hesitated, before sighing again, "How is he doing...emotionally?"

Mei's expression softened, _'Oh, Yurei-kun, you are a better man than you think.'_ "He is doing well in that regard, but he has been asking about you, and how _you're_ doing," She smiled, "In fact, he asked the same question, albeit in a different way only a few days ago. Like father like son I suppose!"

She threw her head back with a laugh, as the puppeteer audibly groaned.

* * *

Kazuya Namikaze stared down at his bowl of beef ramen with a scowl. It wasn't that he disliked ramen, far from it in fact, it was just that he had a lot on his mind. With the war waning due to what he assumed hurt his father and his Uncle Jiraiya, the ages for children to join the academy have gone back to the standard of eight years of age, instead of six. This meant that he couldn't start his ninja career for another two years.

"Kazuya-chan, what's wrong? Is it under-cooked?"

Meeting his mother's eyes, he shook his head, "No mom, you did a good job. It's just..." He said, trailing off with a sigh.

Taking off her apron and setting it on the kitchen table, Kushina smiled, "You can tell me anything, you know? What's bothering you?"

"Mom, I want to join the academy early." His voice was uncertain, but he didn't hesitate.

The truth was, he wanted to talk to his father about joining early, he was the Hokage after all. His mother's voice was just so warm and accepting, he couldn't wait until his father had spare time!

Kushina nearly recoiled visibly, "You what? Why would you want to join early?" The warmth in her voice was gone, replaced by the sternness of a concerned mother.

The image of his late brother's face flashed through his mind. He didn't know him long, not even a day, but he still felt helpless when he had to run while he fought that masked man alone. It hurt knowing that he was too weak to help. It was even worse when he saw his father's reaction, hearing him actually cry when he was with his mother alone. The funeral for Naruto is something that he would never forget as well.

Kazuya's eyes hardened, "I want to be strong mom. I want to be so strong, that no one would even think about trying to hurt Konoha. I want to surpass you, surpass even dad, I want to protect everyone..."

Kushina closed her eyes with a sigh, "Right now, if you join, you will most likely graduate early as well. You are very talented, Kazuya-chan," Her eyes opened, "And that would mean you would be involved with the aftermath of the war..." Images of genin dragging dead bodies across bloody battlefields crossed her mind, "And I can't allow that. I'm sorry son."

The Uzumaki boy shot out of his seat, "But that's not fair! I have a chance to do some good for the village!"

His mother shook her head, "This is final, Kazuya. Now eat your food, we will be visiting Mikoto-chan today." She smiled at the thought, before walking out of the kitchen.

Sighing in displeasure, Kazuya plopped back down into his seat, _'Naruto, I envy how you were able to do what you wanted when you wanted.'_

* * *

Looking over the corpse of the S-ranked missing-nin known as 'Jinbei of the Black Waters,' his single sharingan eye easily made out each individual wound on his body, _'The wounds are very fresh, no more then an hour I would say...'_

He slowly looked around the grove he was in, _'This is becoming rather troublesome, this is the third prospect taken from me this month.'_ Obito clenched his hands tight, "Maybe Zetsu is losing his touch, I may have to track down this group myself." He said coldly.

The ground suddenly shook violently causing his lone eye to widen, "What?"

The earth under his feet stilled, before it pulled away like a tide would before the coming wave, _'An earthquake of some kind? No, I can feel it, a build up of chakra...'_

The sun rays that passed through the trees in front of him dimmed and vanished one by one. Looking up, he gazed upon a tsunami of rock and earth that towered above the tress, blotting out the Sun.

 _'Animus...'_ He thought with a scowl. Only another S-class shinobi could pull something like this off, and a master of doton jutsus at that. Attempting to warp away, he found that he couldn't, "What in the world!" He went to run, but walls of mud ripped out of the ground, boxing him in, _'This isn't happening!'_

A mythical display of ninjutsu was barreling toward him, and he was trapped like a fly in a spider's web.

* * *

Councilman Shidori Yaman strode through the halls of Kirigakure no Sato's esteemed _Hall's of Reconciliation_ with a slight limp. A remnant of the third war when an explosive tag went off a bit too close. Luckily it got him out of the war early, but it killed his career as a shinobi for good.

Rounding a corner, he approached a rather grandiose set of double doors. They were ornate and of blues and greens, the colors of Kiri. The two shinobi of jonin rank at the doors stepped aside without hesitation, allowing the old councilman to enter with a nod of thanks.

The inside of the main council chamber was far from spartan. Beautiful carvings of an almost tribalistic nature spanned the walls and ceiling. The main table of the room was translucent, and filled with water and exotic fish. A specialized mechanism underneath the table caused blue and green lights to cascade through the water, and throughout the room.

Dipping his head in respect to his fellow council members in the room, he took his seat in a slow manner, "Hello my fellow councilmen, how are we today?" He asked, before fully taking his seat with a grunt of pain.

No one answered the question immediately, but one of the younger members spoke up soon enough, "While I cannot speak for my other fellow councilmen, I can say that I'm doing fairly well, Shidori-san. How about yourself?"

Shidori let out a breathy laugh, "I wish I could say that I'm doing well, but my leg is bothering me quite a bit today."

Another of the councilmen crossed his arms in thought, "It is most likely to do with the recent cold weather we've been having," He touched a scar that ran across his cheek, "I know my old wounds act up in response to it."

A snort sounded nest to him, causing a scowl to twist his face, "Anything to say Ishida-san?"

A slender young man with square-rimmed glasses smirked, "You old goats always talk about your ancient battle wounds every meeting," He waved his hand dismissively, "It really grates on the nerves, you know?"

Before any angry retort could leave the scared man's mouth, Sidori spoke, "Ah, but these old wounds teach you a great many of things, Ishida-san. You value knowledge, do you not? Well we old folk value experience. These two ideologies should respect each other, because they are two sides of the same coin."

"Wise words, Shidori..."

Standing in the doorway of the room was none other then the Mizukage himself, Yagura. Instantly the councilmen were on their feet with a chorus of, "Mizukage-sama!"

The room was beyond silent, akin to a cemetery at nightfall. Slowly walking over to the head of the table the short, pink eyed kage took his seat, "At ease." His voice was smooth as silk, almost unfitting for his role as a murderous tyrant.

Complying to the order, everyone took their seats almost simultaneously, as the kage spoke, "The rebels have gotten skittish as of late, mainly do to Kenzo's actions," Yagura's visage was stoic as a statue, and his voice robotic as he spoke, "He has taken out more then fifty rebels this month. But it isn't the death toll that is important, it's the psychological impact."

Shidori stood when he heard a lull in his kage's speech, "I apologize for interrupting Mizukage-sama, but if you could indulge an old badger, how exactly is this wet behind the ears jonin so effective? Not even Kisame has been as impressive."

Yagura's emotionless gaze bored into his own, "Kenzo has developed an ability to wrap his body in a metallic substance to increase his durability, as well as physical strength," His gaze swept across the rooms occupants, "This is not a kekkei genkai, and any bloodline users are still to be killed on sight."

 _'Bullshit.'_ Shidori thought as he bowed his head, before retaking his seat, _'It's most likely the kekkei genkai known as **Koton(Steel Release.)** Yagura is just getting desperate to quash the rebellion as quickly as possible.'_

The Mizukage spoke again, "Kenzo will continue terrorizing the rebels until they get desperate. I believe that fool of a leader Mei, will take the bait, and try something crafty."

Shidori clenched his hands into fists under the council table, while Yagura continued, "I believe she will try and gather information, and when she fails at that, she will send her strongest to assassinate our assassin."

Ishida adjusted his glasses, "Excuse me Mizukage-sama, but how do you know that she will ultimately fail at figuring out Kenzo's strengths and weaknesses?" Many of the councilmen nodded their heads in accordance to the question.

Yagura actually smirked, "Because her mole is sitting in this room as we speak."

Light murmurs sounded around the room, as every council member's face showed some form of confusion. Shidori Yaman was no different, but underneath the table, his nails were biting into his flesh.

"I know who it is, and I've known who it was since you stepped into my village," The Mizukage radiated a dark and powerful killing intent, causing every member's breath to catch in their throats, "I'll give you this one and only chance to give yourself up, if you do I'll be lenient. However, if you don't..." He trailed off, but the threat loomed like the most dangerous of storm clouds.

The killing intent seemed to increase, causing many of the members to fight against vomiting on the floor. Shidori was sweating up a storm, trying his damnedest not to break face. And like a faucet of water, the power of Yagura receded, "You had your chance." And then he was gone.

Shidori's eyes widened, he looked all around the room, where had he gone? How was he able to move faster then he could see? Then he caught it. A shimmer from across the table, before the Mizukage appeared behind Ishida covered in the corrosive red-orange cloak of his tailed beast. The power caused the nearby councilmen to be blown away, but the kage caught Ishida by the arm, causing him to scream out in pain, "It's you, isn't it? You are from Konoha, correct? I bet the rebels asked for support from those tree-hugging fools."

His prey cried and begged, as he stomped on the floor in reflex from the pain, "Mizu-Mizukage-sa-sama! I didn't do it!" From his wrist to his shoulder was nearly just bone and ligaments at this point.

Yagura did not relent, "I gave you a chance, but you had to play the fool." He then grabbed Ishida's head, "Fade away like the refuse you are..." The cries of anguish were louder than any scream he heard on the battlefield, Shidori noted in morbid fascination, as the weaker willed members emptied their stomachs at the smell of a man's head being melted.

Within moments of contact Ishida's headless corpse fell back into the seat he was originally sitting in. The upper half lolled over to rest against the table, as the kage's demonic cloak dissipated, "You were right Shidori," The man in question nearly jumped when his name was said, "He apparently didn't have the experience necessary to see how foolish his actions were."

Shidori merely nodded, as the Mizukage turned to look him in the eye, "By the way Shidori, how is your son doing?"

The old councilman actually shuddered from the gaze, "I-I do not have a son, Mizukage-sama."

Yagura let out a dark laugh, "Just keeping you on your toes, Shidori..."

* * *

The meeting didn't last much longer after the monstrous display by Yagura. Shidori was the first to leave the council chamber, before making his way to his living quarters. Entering his luxurious mansion with haste, his maid moved quickly to catch up with him, "Shidori-sama, is there anything you need?"

The man didn't even look her in the eye, "I want to be left alone for a few days. Do not tell anyone, do not bother me." And with that, he entered his room, before roughly closing the door in her face.

Inside the extravagant room, Shidori collapsed onto all fours, before his form shimmered to reveal Naruto, garbed in black with his mask absent, _'Holy fuck! The Mizukage is not to be trifled with!'_

The blond spent the past week sneaking into Kirigakure, before taking over the life of Shidori Yaman, an esteemed council member. He hoped to gather information on both the village, as well as Yagura and the mystery man now revealed as 'Kenzo.'

Naruto took deep breaths to compose himself, before he stood with a scowl, _'I underestimated Yagura's hate. He seems to feed of it, to become stronger with his bijuu. To think he only holds the third strongest out of nine.'_ He smiled at the ghastly reality of it all, _'I need to get stronger, even with preparation it would be almost impossible to seal his bijuu by myself.'_

* * *

That night, Naruto left Kirigakure with haste. He wanted to get as far away from Yagura as possible for the time being. After three hours of moving at subsonic speeds, he then took a two man boat back to the rebel island North-East of the mainland.

After a day of sailing, he touched down at an outpost where he confirmed his identity, before blasting off toward the rebel headquarters. After an hour of running he entered the secret hideout through a seal based concealment technique he created. Walking though the halls, he couldn't help but sigh in relief. He was one-hundred percent confident in his abilities as a shinobi, but it still felt good to succeed in a mission most would consider suicidal.

Looking up, he noticed Chojuro jogging toward him with a light sheen of sweat on his face, "Yurei-sama, Mei-sama wishes for you to see her at the medical station. Naruto nodded his head, before the boy took off; his mission seemingly over.

It didn't take long to reach the medic area of the headquarters. Here, medic shinobi trained, as well as heal and support the wounded. Immediately upon arriving he noticed Mangetsu and Mei outside of the main diagnosing and operating area. The door to the room was closed off with a red light above it, indicating it was in use, "Mei-san, what's the issue?"

He noticed Mei looked solemn as she approached him, "Yurei-kun, I have some bad news..."

The blond's genius mind instantly put together the situation, "Kimimaro, is he okay?" He was calm, Kimimaro was with Mangetsu, he doubted he could have been hurt that badly.

The auburn haired woman shook her head after a moment of pause, "I-We-I...don't know. The mission wasn't anything too strenuous, just a quick scouting mission. But they were ambushed by Kiri shinobi. They made quick work of them, but Kimimaro suddenly collapsed after the battle was finished. Mangetsu raced here afterword."

Kimimaro will be fine. Kimimaro will be fine. Kimimaro will be fine, he repeated in his head, "What did the medics say?"

"That's what we're waiting on now. Initial diagnosis came up with nothing though." Mangetsu said, his face set in a scowl from the situation.

A sudden _ding_ followed by the red light turning green caused the three to snap toward the door. Not long after, a medic-nin opened the door and stepped out. She took off her medical gloves with a sigh, before standing in front of the three, "He is going to make it, for now."

Mei and Mangetsu breathed a sigh of relief, but Naruto knew better, "For now?" He clenched his hands into fists, the material of his gloves straining.

The medic nodded, "It seems he is being racked by an unknown illness," She sighed again in what seemed like exhaustion, "We tried to cure it, but Kimimaro's body structure is so radically different due to his kekkei genkai...there is nothing we can do but slow the inevitable. And to be honest, I don't think there is anything any normal medic can do," She shook her head, "It isn't a matter of skill, it's a matter of knowledge."

Silence blanketed the area. Mei bit her lip in a mixture of thought and worry, while Mangetsu was kicking himself for not seeing any signs of this illness earlier.

"Normal medic."

Mei, Mangetsu and the medic turned toward Naruto, "What?" The medic asked.

The Namikaze looked her straight in the eyes, "You said 'normal medic,' do you know of anyone that isn't a normal medic?"

Mei's eyes widened, "Surely your not suggesting-"

"I am!" Naruto yelled, his anger of the situation, and stress from his mission catching up with him, "Tsunade of the sannin, that is who will cure him."

* * *

 **I know, I know. Where have I been for the past few months? Well, shit is really coming to a head in my life. Because of my father's condition, family is starting to visit in droves. I've also been preparing for college, and been dealing with loans, taxes, paperwork and just money in general. On top of all this, I've been writing my own novel. So yeah, a lot of stuff is going down. I'm not going to lie to you guys, I'm probably not going to be updating every couple weeks, it's just not feasible. But make no mistake, I will update eventually! I would like to take this time to apologize though, I really do feel awful about not updating.**

 **Will there be a pairing?: Naruto is VERY complicated as a person. Not only that, but he isn't very mature in the romantic sense. It's possible though, but it will be a bumpy ride.**

 **Not enough Naruto!: I'm sorry, but while this is a mainly Naruto-centered story, it will have other elements.**

 **Where the 'F' is Naruto's mom?: I'm honestly surprised by the amount of interest in this honestly. I will say that she will be revealed later on.**

TigrezzTail

 _Figures he had already anticipated what the rebels would need. Interesting that Genji refers to Izuna as sensei. That'll be some story._

 _-_ Yep!, Naruto is very Batman-esque in his planning. I'm glad you are interested in the Animus bit, and I hope you think it's good!

Antex-The Legendary Zoroark

 _Awesome chapter! I enjoyed it quite a bit!_

-Thanks! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

Batros940

 _Not a bad chapter, though I'm dissappointed to see that even with Minato's hirashin, both him and Jiraiya were injured. As for Jiraiya's injury I would hardly callhim crippled. After all with the right seal just like Orochimura Jiraiya only needs one hand to summon the toads, and they are the strongest part of his arsenal. As for Naruto I figured the only person he would listen to is Mei while talking down to the rest of the kiri rebels since he is there to make use of them._

-Thanks, I'm trying to show that war has _no_ bias. Hey, I'm not saying Jiraiya is a cripple in the strictness sense, that's just the way he views it. Naruto doesn't necessarily view the lesser rebels as pawns, because he knows how that can backfire. He is very calculating in that regard.


End file.
